[Equest-users] incorrect virtual rates?

Chris Balbach cbalbach at psdconsulting.com
Sun Mar 4 08:21:19 PST 2012


All:

Just to add to the conversation  - has everyone seen the Utilities Gateway (http://en.openei.org/wiki/Gateway:Utilities) available at OpenEI?  A crowd-sourced application, one can use the Utilities Gateway to view, create or edit utility rate structures for about 3,400 utility companies.

I often find the actual tariff structure associated with a project (especially when considering differing rate structures between T&D and generation) require me to develop a custom spreadsheet to post-process eQUEST hourly output to synthesize a virtual utility bill.  This spreadsheet development can be tedious work (especially when savings result in crossing service classes), and keeping the spreadsheets up to date and accurate requires diligent effort. I shudder to think about how many person-hours are spent by modelers across the country essentially doing the same thing, over and over and over.  Doesn't seem to be an efficient use of resources.  In de-regulated markets, I'm not sure if there is a better way... too many possibilities.

However - for many parts of the country -  I do think a cool "pay as you go" web-service would be one where a tool agnostic hourly file could be uploaded, a utility provider and service class chosen, and a virtual bill generated using current published tariff structures . Would anyone else find this useful?

All the Best,

_Chris


Chris Balbach, PE, CEM, BEMP, CMVP, BESA
Vice President of Research and Development
Cell: (607)-327-1647

Performance Systems Development

124 Brindley Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
www.psdconsulting.com<http://www.psdconsulting.com/>



From: equest-users-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org [mailto:equest-users-bounces at lists.onebuilding.org] On Behalf Of norman wheatley
Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2012 12:46 PM
To: John Aulbach
Cc: equest-users at lists.onebuilding.org
Subject: Re: [Equest-users] incorrect virtual rates?

Hi,

Actually, I don't think that's the problem. eQuest rates, in this case at least, are oversimplified. I seriously doubt if they were ever correct.

Norm
On Sat, Mar 3, 2012 at 7:25 AM, John Aulbach <jra_sac at yahoo.com<mailto:jra_sac at yahoo.com>> wrote:
You need to input current utility rates yourself. eQuest does not keep up on current utility rates.

John Aulbach
Partner Energy

________________________________
From: CleanTech Analytics <jeremiah at cleantechanalytics.com<mailto:jeremiah at cleantechanalytics.com>>
To: norman wheatley <normwheatley at gmail.com<mailto:normwheatley at gmail.com>>
Cc: equest-users at lists.onebuilding.org<mailto:equest-users at lists.onebuilding.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 1, 2012 8:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Equest-users] incorrect virtual rates?

You can enter them your self in the detailed mode.
On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 7:08 PM, norman wheatley <normwheatley at gmail.com<mailto:normwheatley at gmail.com>> wrote:
Hi,

I'm doing a LEED project in California. We're using PAcific Gas and Electric's GNR-1 gas rate but it comes out quite low. If you go to PG&E's website it seems that eQuest's virtual rate (which is 60 c/therm) is ignoring the Transportation and PPP part of the charges - ie 40 cents is missing.

there's a similar problem with the electricity rates - A10a but eQuest is overestimating the rate by 40%.

What do you do for the utility rates? Do you input them yourself or rely on eQuests rate schedules?

thanks
Norm

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