In an energy performance contract (EPC), the energy performance gain “measured according to the IPMVP” triggers bonuses and penalties. One question remains: who calculated it? The protocol guarantees a documented method for comparing energy consumption before and after a project. It does not guarantee the independence of whoever applies it. And a saving measured by the party selling it remains a claim. Here is how to choose the option, test the baseline and decide who verifies the savings.
What the IPMVP is and how to calculate an energy saving under the protocol
IPMVP: definition of the protocol and the role of EVO
The IPMVP, or International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol, is the international protocol for measurement and verification of energy performance. Published under this name since 1997, it has been maintained since 2004 by the Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO)[1][1]Studies and reportsEfficiency Valuation Organization (EVO), “International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol”, 1997 and 2022 editionsSee in sources ↓. It compares a baseline period with a reporting period to isolate the effect of an action on energy consumption. It sets out principles and leaves the method to its author.
The current edition dates from 2022[1][1]Studies and reportsEfficiency Valuation Organization (EVO), “International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol”, 1997 and 2022 editionsSee in sources ↓. The ATEE (French association of energy technicians and engineers) hosts the French translation of the 2022 edition, as well as that of April 2017[2][2]Studies and reportsATEE, “Protocole international de mesure et de vérification de la performance”, French translations of the 2016 edition (April 2017) and the 2022 editionSee in sources ↓. Before signing, check which edition your energy performance contract cites. This international framework speaks to ESCOs and energy efficiency specialists alike.
What is the point of a protocol that no law imposes?
No law imposes the protocol. Yet it remains the go-to methodology for EPCs. ESCOs, lenders and building owners find in it a common basis for contracting an energy efficiency result, within a non-prescriptive framework[1][1]Studies and reportsEfficiency Valuation Organization (EVO), “International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol”, 1997 and 2022 editionsSee in sources ↓.
Its neighbors follow other logics. The Décret tertiaire (France's tertiary decree on energy savings in commercial buildings) and the OPERAT platform apply their own adjustments. CEE energy-savings certificates rely on standardized deemed savings. ISO 50001, finally, certifies an energy management system.
Did you know? The protocol chooses neither the option nor the acceptable level of uncertainty. It leaves both decisions to the author of the M&V plan[1][1]Studies and reportsEfficiency Valuation Organization (EVO), “International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol”, 1997 and 2022 editionsSee in sources ↓, who is often the company that sold the action.
The formula: an adjusted baseline minus measured consumption
The fundamental principles for calculating savings fit on one line, once the baseline period and the measurement boundary are set.
savings = adjusted baseline consumption - reporting-period consumption
Everything hinges on the word “adjusted”. You recalculate what the building would have consumed without the action, under the conditions of the reporting period. This baseline is built following the baseline and heating degree days (HDD) method.
Routine adjustments: weather, occupancy and schedules
Routine adjustments recalculate the variable factors for each period: heating degree days, occupancy, schedules. Without HDD weather correction, a mild winter produces a saving that nobody achieved. The building's energy signature separates the impact of the actions from that of the weather. That is the condition for reading the real impact.
Non-routine adjustments: when the building changes during the reporting period
Non-routine adjustments cover static factors: leased area, change of tenant, added equipment, contractual operating hours, tenant fit-out works. This is the first battleground for EPC disputes. An adjustment written after the fact serves first whoever writes it, especially when the contract does not list these factors before performance monitoring begins.
How accurate can a measured saving be?
A measured energy saving always comes with a stated uncertainty. It depends on meter accuracy, the baseline model and the length of the reporting period. A modest saving can be drowned in meter variability. A reliable result therefore states its uncertainty: that is the first place to judge how reliable the methods are.
IPMVP options A, B, C and D: choosing according to the scope of the action
Option A: measure the key parameter and estimate the rest
Option A isolates the action and measures the key parameter, for example the power drawn by a replaced pump. The other parameter, operating hours, is estimated. On a project where run hours are poorly known, the impact of the actions then rests on an assumption: that is the risk carried by the estimate.
Option B: isolate the action and measure all parameters
Option B keeps the same boundary but measures all parameters, continuously or over short periods depending on their variability, using dedicated sub-metering. Accuracy comes at a price. In practice, instrumentation is the main cost driver of M&V. For a refurbished AHU, meters go in before the works, never after.
Option C: measure at the whole-building meter
Option C relies on the whole-site meters, corrected for variable factors such as heating degree days. It suits diffuse actions, such as reworking BMS sequences and setpoints, provided the expected saving stands out clearly from the variability of total consumption. It generally requires a full annual cycle of baseline and reporting data.
Option D: use a calibrated simulation
Option D relies on a simulation of the building calibrated on real measurements. It is reserved for cases where the baseline is missing or unusable: new building, major renovation, no history. The quality of the calibration determines the entire claimed saving.
| Action | Measurement boundary | Data required | Baseline period | Typical pitfall | Recommended option |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replacing an HVAC unit Works EPC |
Isolated equipment | Dedicated meter or spot measurement of the key parameter | A few weeks representative of operation | Run hours estimated instead of measured | A B A if run hours are known, B otherwise |
| Refurbishing an AHU Works EPC |
The AHU and its ductwork | Dedicated sub-metering | One operating season | Meters installed after the works | B Sub-metering installed before the works |
| Reworking BMS sequences and setpoints Services EPC |
Whole site | Main meter and HDD | A full annual cycle | Saving too small compared with total consumption | C Main meter corrected for HDD |
| Predictive control and optimal start Services EPC Global EPC |
Whole site | Main meter, HDD and BMS trend logs | A full annual cycle | Baseline taken during manual overrides | C Baseline checked for manual overrides |
M&V plan and data: what measurement requires before it starts
M&V plan: what it sets and where the data comes from
The M&V plan sets, at signature, the option, the boundary, the adjustments and the target uncertainty. It is the implementation tool: the length of the reporting period and the use of third-party verification drive its cost. The measurement and verification plan article details its structure. Its data comes from four sources:
- BMS point trend logs;
- sub-metering of isolated equipment;
- the site's main meters;
- the weather station chosen for heating degree days.
Eight points to have checked on the baseline period
Who does the measurement and verification: why can't the operator be both judge and party?
Operator, owner's advisor or third party: who should build the baseline?
In a conventional EPC, the operator who guarantees the saving also writes the M&V plan and calculates the result. It is both judge and party. No ill intent is needed: its baseline serves its own project first.
A saving measured by the party selling it remains a claim.
On the building owner's side, the owner's advisor (AMO) tests the baseline before signature. The third party then measures and verifies each periodic report from the raw data, not from the contractor's report.
CMVP-certified verifier: what certification guarantees
The CMVP certification, issued by the AEE (Association of Energy Engineers), has no longer been recognized by EVO since 1 March 2022. EVO now issues the PMVA for M&V analysts and the PMVE for experts, after training followed by an exam. In both cases, the certification applies to a person, not to a project or to an organization as an ISO certification does. A certified expert can therefore sign off on a fragile baseline.
Five roles, and those the same company combines
How does Foobot apply the IPMVP to a building controlled without works?
BMS advisory: making meters reliable before freezing a baseline
Before talking about options, we look at the meters. Our BMS advisory tracks down the disconnections, data gaps, duplicates and invisible drifts that distort a baseline. This energy management work, which many call GTE (gestion technique de l'énergie, technical energy management), is worth doing in its own right: a meter audit serves the next EPC, whether or not control follows. It is carried out without works.
At Valeo, we measured -28.6% in HVAC consumption according to the IPMVP protocol[3][3]Field feedbackFoobot, Valeo case study, HVAC consumption measured according to the IPMVP protocolSee in sources ↓.
Before signing an EPC, ask who measures the saving
A solid EPC rests on four choices made before signature. The option is chosen according to the scope of the action, not according to the provider's habits. The baseline is only as good as the meters that feed it. Non-routine adjustments are written before the reporting period, never after the first unfavorable report. Finally, measurement falls to a verifier distinct from the operator.
Energy performance is proven with data that a third party can replay. Before reading an IPMVP report, have the meters that feed it checked.
independent M&V starts with reliable meters
Further reading:
FAQ - IPMVP
What is the IPMVP protocol?
The International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol has been published under this name since 1997, and by EVO since 2004[1][1]Studies and reportsEfficiency Valuation Organization (EVO), “International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol”, 1997 and 2022 editionsSee in sources ↓. The IPMVP protocol describes how to measure an energy saving: baseline, reporting, adjustments. It sets neither the option nor the level of uncertainty.
What is the PIMVP for?
PIMVP is the French acronym for the IPMVP (International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol). It frames the measurement and verification of savings. It serves to settle matters between building owner and operator when an EPC indexes bonuses and penalties on a measured saving.
What are the principles of the IPMVP protocol?
Its fundamental principles consist in comparing an adjusted baseline period with a reporting period, within a defined measurement boundary. This international measurement protocol requires a written plan before start-up, not a justification after the fact.
What are the main principles of the IPMVP protocol?
The main principles of M&V are accuracy, completeness, conservativeness, consistency, relevance and transparency[1][1]Studies and reportsEfficiency Valuation Organization (EVO), “International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol”, 1997 and 2022 editionsSee in sources ↓. In practice, conservativeness weighs the most: when in doubt, you keep the assumption that understates the saving.
Why is it important for energy performance?
Without a common method, two reports on the same energy action diverge. The protocol has become the go-to methodology for EPCs, without being imposed by law. Its contribution: isolating the real impact of the actions from weather and occupancy.
Why choose the IPMVP for energy efficiency?
Because it serves as an international reference for ESCOs and lenders. This international framework bridges the English-speaking energy efficiency world and French practice (efficacité énergétique). The same report can therefore be reviewed by a foreign verifier without translating the method.
What are the advantages of the IPMVP protocol?
The IPMVP provides a flexible framework: four options adaptable to the scope. The downside lies in that very flexibility. A recognized protocol protects no one if the M&V plan does not set a precise framework, signed before the reporting period.
What are the benefits for clients?
The building owner gets a contract indexed on a verifiable result. The protocol makes it possible to secure bonuses and penalties, provided the baseline and adjustments are written before start-up and then reviewed by a third party.
How do you measure energy savings?
To measure savings, you adjust the baseline-period consumption to the conditions of the reporting period, then subtract the measured consumption. Calculating savings without HDD correction amounts to measuring the winter.
How do you choose the right IPMVP option?
Among options A, B, C, D, the choice depends on what the action changes and on the weight of the saving in total consumption. Isolated equipment calls for A or B. A diffuse saving calls for C, a missing baseline for D.
What tools are used to implement the IPMVP?
The M&V plan remains the key tool of the approach: it sets the option, boundary, adjustments and uncertainty. The implementation tools and methodologies follow: BMS trend logs, sub-metering, main meters, weather station and regression model.
How do you get trained in the IPMVP protocol?
Recognized courses lead to IPMVP level III training, which prepares for the exams. The PMVA certification targets analysts, the PMVE the experts who write or challenge an M&V plan. Choose a trainer who has you work on real historical data, not textbook cases.
How do you obtain IPMVP certification?
The IPMVP certification issued by EVO is now the PMVA, Performance Measurement and Verification Analyst. The exam is a four-hour test taken after training, with degree and experience requirements. The CMVP, still often cited, is now solely a matter for the AEE.
Sources and references
3 sources.- [1]Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO), “International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol”, 1997 and 2022 editions↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6
- [2]ATEE, “Protocole international de mesure et de vérification de la performance”, French translations of the 2016 edition (April 2017) and the 2022 edition↑
- [3]Foobot, Valeo case study, HVAC consumption measured according to the IPMVP protocol