Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

A main barrier to energy efficiency programs is the lack of a real benchmarking methodology. Industrial energy benchmarking is used by governments, energy utilities and industrial firms, enabling a useful comparison of relative performance and the identification of energy savings potential. Current forms of benchmarking industrial systems and processes rely on a comparison of performance metrics, which are limited by the fact that variations in operating conditions are not considered. Furthermore, the lack of benchmarking partners makes it challenging to constitute what's energy-efficient. ASA Energy Consulting Ltd. is an energy consulting, engineering and project development firm. ASA Energy specializes in the analysis, design, development and implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects across a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. ASA Energy has approached Lambton College to develop an accurate, repeatable, comparable, and time-independent, customer-oriented benchmarking system and standards, improving the quality of Energy Performance Indicators (EnPI) currently used by ISO 50001 and ISO 50006 by setting reliable benchmarks based on well-known and common physical laws. The success of this project will provide an easy to use, secure web-based platform that can allow facility owners and operators to benchmark their facility performance using embedded essential energy models based on the CSA standards. The new technology will allow ASA Energy to expand their energy management services to their existing and new customers by providing a cloud-based platform for energy performance benchmarking and energy savings verification. Governments and Utilities can also use the product to support their demand side management programs and allow them to reliably provide incentives and rate credits to their customers.