On August 19th, 2015 at noon EST, the ICP team reconvened the ICP Technical Forum (a monthly 90-minute webinar and conference call), which had been on hiatus for the last four months as the ICP team focused on deploying the ICP Provider Credentials and IREE Project Certification. The call was well attended with 45 people logged into the session, and a lot of participation and great feedback from project developers and QA providers such as SCIenergy, AEA, Quest, TRC, NYSERDA, the CO Energy Office, NREL, NJ PACE, and NH PACE among others.  

The call focused on some of the changes being proposed for the new version of the ICP Targeted protocol (which will extend once agreed to across the portfolio of protocols).  There was great input and a lot of agreement around underwriting and performance periods, and some modifications to the technical requirement around baselining in particular, as well as discussion regarding the new Project Registry and process around it..

Highlights from the call are presented below:

• The ICP Underwriting Phase focuses on requirements regarding baseline development, savings calculations, and the development of the OPV (Cx), OM&M and M&V plans.

1. Plans need to be developed, at least a high level, for all three of these components. This can be particularly important to M&V to ensure that proper pre-retrofit data are collected, and savings estimates or energy models are properly calibrated.. 
2. The plans can be "living documents," in the sense that further development can and will need to be performed to reflect the final construction.
3. If templates are developed for these plans (which the ICP team is currently developing), then the cost to develop plans for a specific project should be minimized.

• The ICP requires development of a baseline using ASTM BEPA methods and a regression-based analysis approach. However, many projects to date use a simpler "data only" approach, without any regression applied. Should the ICP allow for non-regression-based baseline development approaches?

1. Use of as-is utility data to develop the baseline can be problematic, and can over- or under-estimate energy savings projections. Normalizing the data to weather, or other routine adjustments, is critical.
2. A baseline should be developed for the entire building for every project, even Targeted projects that may only have a single or a handful of measures. The baseline provides a valuable reference and check against savings projects, and is required by most programs or financial organizations.

• Should ICP address the idea of using one form of M&V for the first few years of the reporting / performance period (say Options A and/or B), and then using a different approach (Option C) for subsequent years, to reduce costs / effort?

1. Very few projects employ this method to date. However, the approach could reduce costs related to M&V if savings are being illustrated during the first few years of the performance period. As long as no significant non-routine adjustments are encountered while Option C is being applied.
2. If savings are not being realized during the Option C M&V period, then the Option A/B approaches (or a targeted recommissioning or operational performance verification approach) could be redeployed, to further identify the issue(s). 

• ICP is in the process of launching its Project Registry, which will record project seeking IREE designation.

1. Use of the Project Registry by projects seeking IREE should be mandatory.
2. The user could be asked for permission to release information to specific individuals, allowing it to serve as a platform to exchange project information.
3. Whether the building is owner-occupied or leased should be added to the form, as well as EPC as a financing mechanism, and water as a measure type.
4. The savings summary table should specify required points (ECM name / brief description, energy savings, cost savings, implementation costs. Simpler is better.
5. Potentially align the data platform / requirements with other benchmarking tools.

Please join us for our next ICP technical Forum call on September 16th at noon EST. And send any additional thoughts or contributions to Tracy Phillips, ICP Technical Lead, at [email protected].

Allies, credentialed providers, technical forum members, and other friends of the Investor Confidence Project (ICP),

This is a reminder that we will be hosting an Investor Confidence Project Technical Forum Meeting tomorrow at August 19th (9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern) 

This meeting will focus on proposed changes to the ICP Energy Performance Protocols and review of ICP Data strategy.  Complete details can be found in the agenda which we recommend all participants review prior to the meeting. 

This will be a virtual meeting with a web based presentation (https://join.me/investorconfidenceproject) and conference line (1.415.655.0381  /  Access Code 830-557-067#).  

As a reminder we also have another upcoming technical forum roundtable to discuss and strategize on the costs associated with developing certified Investor Ready Energy Efficiency (ICP compliant) projects on September 16th (9am Pacific / 12pm Eastern).

Thanks again for your support of ICP!
The ICP Team.

The Investor Confidence Project  (ICP) has two upcoming training sessions for its Credentialed Project Developer program on August 6th and September 17th (both at 10 am Pacific).  ICP is seeking additional candidates to join its growing list of Credentialed Project Developers which includes Association for Energy Affordability, Environmental Building Strategies, H.T. Lyons, Johnson Controls, L&S Systems, Pepco Energy Services, Performance Systems Development, Swinerton Builders, Trane, TRC Energy Services and others. Credentialed project developers enjoy enhanced credibility, additional brand awareness, and preferred status with an increasing number of programs including San Francisco’s Department of the Environment and others. ICP is expanding its regional programs and is in the process of rolling out programs in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, and Southern California who are partnering with ICP to increase deal flow and ensure the success of participating projects.  Joining the ICP credential program involves meeting the program's requirements, submitting a brief application and participating in a two hour web-based ICP training course that covers best practices and methods for incorporating the ICP Protocols into your project origination process.  

If you are not familiar with ICP, the ICP System leverages existing professional certifications, credentialed providers, and the ICP protocols to create Investor Ready Energy EfficiencyTM projects that increase investor and building owner confidence in project engineering fundamentals and financial returns.  The new ICP Project Developer Credential program represents the core of ICP’s credentialing deployment strategy.  This program ensures that select project developers have the necessary qualifications and ICP training to develop projects that utilize industry best practices and conform to the ICP standards.

Registration is open, and if you have any questions or an interest in learning more please reply to this email or contact [email protected] to learn more.