Automated M&V applies statistical modeling and continuous data ingestion to quantify the impact of distributed energy resources on actual load. Instead of one-time engineering calculations or ex-post evaluations, it uses interval meter data, weather normalization, and standardized regression techniques (e.g., CalTRACK, IPMVP protocols) to generate dynamic baselines and calculate avoided or shifted load in near real time. Automation ensures results are reproducible, transparent, and scalable across thousands of sites, enabling demand-side resources to be treated as reliable, tradable assets in energy and capacity markets.
An Energy Attribute Credit (EAC) is a digital certificate that represents the measured impact of a demand-side resource—such as energy saved, load shifted, or flexibility delivered. EACs provide a standardized way to track and trade the value of distributed energy resources, making it possible for organizations to get paid for efficiency, electrification, and demand flexibility.
EACs are calculated from defined M&V methodologies representing agreed upon counterfactuals to determine energy savings. Methodologies establish measurement boundaries, baseline conditions, and operational dependencies that enable stakeholders to understand the basis for energy reduction claims. Data is sourced from projects directly so that savings are attributable to the individual projects. Each project goes through the M&V process, which provides for methodological flexibility and ensures that savings claims are auditable back to the source.
For each hour of the day, following the completion of a project, WattCarbon calculates the energy savings using the agreed upon methodology. This calculation continues for the lifetime of the project impact. EACs are minted on an ongoing basis, and each one contains all of the information about the project, its underlying data, and methodological stipulations. Each EAC receives a unique identifier so that it can be attributed to an individual project and so that it can never be double counted.
Audits are the most important part of measurement & verification transparency. An audit shows how a methodology is implemented and used to calculate energy reductions. EAC audits are the operational backbone of the WattCarbon platform and are used to flag data irregularities, missing parameters, and erroneous outputs.
WattCarbon allows users to interact directly with audit results so that issues can be surfaced and resolved in real-time:
Audit reports are maintained in perpetuity so that at any given time any third party can inspect the audit report and confirm that energy reduction claims have been properly validated.
There is no one-size-fits-all for calculating energy savings. Existing frameworks like IPMVP and the Uniform Methods Project have emphasized the need for collaborative methodological development, but since these existing frameworks have not been fully extended to include measuring hourly demand-side energy impacts, further methodological development can sometimes be required.
WattCarbon is a founding member of the OpenEAC Alliance, a community of measurement & verification professionals, who review and approve all methodologies used in the WattCarbon platform. This organization meets on a regular basis to develop and approve methodologies specific to the challenge of calculating demand-side energy reductions.