Weather-normalized baselining that shows savings from day one.
A baseline is what a site would have used under this period's weather if nothing had changed. Aqueduct fits it by regression on past use against heating and cooling degree days, from 6 to 12 months of meter data or uploaded utility bills.
Expected use, adjusted for weather, set against actual use.
How the model is fitted
- Degree days for the site's location
Historical and live weather are pulled for each site. Degree days count how far and how long temperature sat above or below a reference.
- Regression on past use
Consumption is fitted against cooling and heating degree days over a window of up to 12 months, six at minimum.
- Bills instead of waiting
Uploading past utility bills lets a new site report against a baseline on its first day.
From kWh and gallons to money
- Above or below expected
Actual minus expected, per site, line or meter. Below is a saving, above is waste.
- Rate configuration
Tariffs taken from the bills turn the difference into dollars or rupees.
- Fair ranking
Sites in different climates are each judged against their own expected use, not against each other's raw totals.
Why weather has to come out first.
of US commercial building energy went to space heating in 2018, the largest end use and the most weather-driven.
Source: US EIAmedian savings from energy information systems across about 6,000 buildings.
Source: US DOE Smart Energy Analytics CampaignAn example
Illustrative: a mild winter cuts a campus's heating degree days sharply. Raw use falls and looks like a saving. Against the weather-normalized baseline the campus is slightly above expected, so the drop came from the weather, not from operations.
Limits
A regression baseline holds only while the site stays similar. A new wing, a change of use or a new production line needs the baseline adjusted or refitted.
Short or patchy history gives a weaker fit, and the platform flags data quality rather than hiding it. Weather does not explain occupancy, so busy and quiet periods are also shown per visitor or per square foot.
Related
Common questions
Because last year had different weather. A mild summer flatters any site and a hot one punishes it. Aqueduct instead asks how much the building should have needed given the degree days it actually faced, so the comparison isolates your own changes. See weather normalization.
Yes. Aqueduct runs the same regression for water, electricity and gas, with gas in therms or cubic meters. Water baselines pick up cooling tower and irrigation demand that rises with heat. See aQ WaterGuard.
Past utility bills are enough: load them into Aqueduct and the baseline is ready the day the account opens. Without bills, Aqueduct collects at least six months of meter data before reporting against expected use. See utility bill validation.
Aqueduct uses the same approach Guideline 14 describes for whole-facility baselines: a regression of use against heating and cooling degree days. Whether a project formally claims Guideline 14 compliance is set in its M&V plan. See ASHRAE Guideline 14.
See Aqueduct on your own facility.
Bring a site, a utility bill or a question. We will show you where the loss is.