An article written with Livio De Chicchis about a practical approach to the evaluation of multiple benefits of energy efficiency, based on the mbenefits methodology. The general approach is summarised here, together with two case studies in which we were involved.
The article was published on the magazine Process Industry Informer last March.
Multiple benefits are defined as those economic effects generated by an energy efficiency project that go beyond energy savings. Every energy efficiency project can be associated with positive effects, the so-called non-energy benefits (NEBs), and negative ones (non-energy losses). An assessment of these effects by energy managers and technology providers can be important for three main reasons:
- It adds economic value to the project, improving its economic indicators.
- Since it requires a more thorough analysis, it allows to operate in a de-risking perspective, reducing the perceived risk associated with energy efficiency.
- It facilitates the acceptance of energy efficiency projects, since it allows to highlight to decision makers and managers in charge of different departments the effects of the energy efficiency projects that are in line with their specific targets and priorities.
Considering that the cost of energy efficiency tends to rise over the years, due to the increasing difficulty in introducing additional optimisations, the evaluation of non-energy benefits allows to counterbalance such issue.
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