Measurement and Verification methodology, challenges and lessons learned of M&V on commercial heat pumps

Industrial and commercial electrical boilers usually found in hotels, restaurants, etc in South-Africa are used to heat water for sanitary and cleaning purposes. These boilers use electrical heating elements and as such contribute largely to the high power demand of electricity in South-Africa. By implementing Demand Side Management (DSM) measures such as installing heat pumps in parallel with the boilers and use the electrical heating elements as backup, the average daily electrical power demand can be reduced for the client and thus assist to create an overall power reduction in the national demand. Measurement and Verification (M&V) is needed to credibly and accurately determine the impact of these projects. M&V should be an independent, impartial party that provide answers to questions such as: Was the project successfully implemented?; What is the actual impact of the DSM project? In order to answer these questions a methodology should be developed that complies with the IPMVP [1] requirements. This could include change in responsible personnel from any of the stakeholders, the actual heat pump installation, metering and metering installations, visual inspections, etc. These aspects presented challenges such as, scope changes, miscommunication between stakeholders, late project completion and thus late metering installations, approval of installations. This paper will focus on an M&V methodology for commercial energy efficient heat pumps and uses a case study to provide practical examples of challenges encountered and typical preventive actions that may reduce the risk of similar difficulties in other projects.