What is was, was "Energy Management"

The term "Energy Management" has been kicking around for the past 30 years, at least. In the mid '70s everyone was talking "Energy Management". All you needed was a the latest and greatest HVAC controls technology from "big time temperature controls company" to make it happen. Small guys swooped in to grab a piece of the market but they, almost to a company, couldn't sustain themselves.

Over time "Energy Management" became energy management, a lower case expression. It was only part of the solution to saving energy in buildings. First you needed a decent temperature control system then you could implement and energy management program using these computer-based tools. Enlightment... eventually.

But look around today. Where is there a building that really implements energy management? There are very few. Maybe there are none. Only pretenders.

The problem is this: you can't conserve energy if you don't measure it. More precisely you can't be sure you are saving energy if you don't measure it accurately. You need to account for weather, obviously, occupancy, changes in construction, and changes in use. So how many buildings track actual energy usage, day by day or week by week?

This is the issue to be explored in this blog. The energy used and energy conserved must first be measured. Only then can the success of energy management programs be evaluated.

(The title may remind those of you old enough to remember the Andy Griffith audio skit "What it was, was football".)