Consumption
The records of energy consumed or utilities employed, collected for each relevant
Energy/Utility Type as recorded by each Meter.
Corrected
When efficiencies are calculated for benchmarking purposes, all data is first Corrected to
enable comparisons to be made for any essentially 'given' factors, such as local climate,
building construction and necessary usage patterns. This thereby enables really meaningful
efficiency comparisons to made between all similarly deployed Entities on record in the
system.
Energy
Currently the system mainly covers such sources of Energy as electricity, gas, and other
fuels. Delivered steam and heated or chilled water are also included and there is scope to
extend coverage to other Energy sources, such as solar, if required. Coverage is also being
extended to some other non-energy Utilities and these two groupings are often more
conveniently combined together under the single category of Energy/Utility Type.
Energy/Utility Map
An Energy/Utility Map is created by the system to show how the various Meter Configurations
and Entities are inter-related for a particular Site. It provides a useful overview especially for
situations where there are several different types of Energy or Utility in use and/or where the
same Meter covers more than one Entity.
Energy/Utility Type
The type of Energy or other Utility being used or metered - eg electricity, reticulated natural
gas, fuel oil, water etc.
Entity
This is the basic defined unit for which most benchmark reports can be produced. Any
Facility must contain at least one Entity which might be either one building, a group of similar
buildings, or, more likely, an easily identifiable segment of a building. The decision to define
an Entity should be primarily determined by reporting needs which may be driven by a wish to
delineate different usage areas or perhaps to separate otherwise similar areas according to
departmental/management responsibilities. Each Entity must then be identified as belonging
to one of five Classes after which the predominant usage or Purpose is chosen. A later
version will allow for some automatic aggregation of reports by Facility. The number of
Entities chosen for each Facility will generally depend on its complexity or size, but for many
situations, choosing only one may be quite sufficient.
Facility
A Site will generally comprise several Facilities, each of which will contain at least one Entity.
Single buildings are the most likely choice to be defined as a Facility although several
buildings can be grouped into one.
Ghost-Over
A Ghost-Over is a relevant text message which appears briefly in a small box just near a
heading or a link when the mouse pointer is held over it. If it disappears too soon, moving the
pointer away and back again will reinstate it.
Indicator
This is an Attribute chosen to be a benchmarking size or activity Indicator employed as the
divisor to calculate the corresponding rate of energy consumption for comparative efficiency
purposes. For example, it may be part of an expression citing the rate as kWh per square
metre, per Full Time Equivalent Staff member, or per occupied bed day etc, depending on the
Purpose of the Entity.
Invoices
This term is used as an identifier for the Invoices checking procedures now provided in
Version 3.2 of the system. This important innovation enables every Energy and Utility bill to
be routinely checked for accuracy. A later development will allow automatic comparison with
relevant past records on an exceptions basis. The Invoices heading in the SHORTCUT
SECTION and Appendix L describe this significant improvement in more detail.
Local ID
The unique name given to a Meter for identification purposes when its details are first
entered. Choosing this could have important implications for Invoice checking as described
further under the Local ID heading in Appendix D.
Login Name
The name chosen by an authorised user for logging on to the system.
Meter
The Meter is the point at which the energy or utility Consumption can be most accurately
quantified and details for at least one Meter must be entered for each Energy/Utility Type.
The Consumption to be recorded by Meters can range between automated downloading of
every half hour of electricity or gas usage on the one hand to manually entering each month's
coal tonnage or gas bottles consumed on the other. In this latter example, the Meter is really
a virtual item rather than an actual measuring device. However, it is essential to ensure that
appropriate usage data is ascertained and entered in the system regularly for each relevant
Energy/Utility Type.
Meter Configuration
This is an essential requirement for creating the Energy/Utility Map because it allocates the
proportion of each Meter's recorded throughput by Entity in situations where the service being
metered is supplied to more than one Entity.
Non-Time of Use (Non-TOU)
Metering which is less sophisticated than Time of Use. The most basic version just records
Consumption and the periodic readings have to be taken manually. For electricity supply,
Non-TOU Meters can hold dual measurements to distinguish between controlled circuits (ie
those subject to ripple control) and those which can draw energy at any time. They can also
further extend to separate measurement for simple built-in time divisions between night and
day usage but usually without being able to identify it by the day of the week. Different tariffs
usually apply to each separately measured usage.
Organisation
This is the client institution which has the contract with ETS for the e-Bench service.
Organisation Type
A broad indicative way to classify the Organisation chosen from a drop-down list on the
Assets - Organisation Details screen.
Parent Meter
Any Meter which has at least one Sub-Meter fed by it. A Parent Meter may be a Supply
Meter or a Sub-Meter and there is no limit to the number of possible sub-metering levels.
Password
The Password chosen by an authorised User for logging on to the system. One is initially
allocated by ETS until Users enter one for themselves.
Plant
A central heat, chilling, or pumping plant which services all or part of a Site. It is in some
respects equivalent to a Supply Meter which may then be subject to further measurement
through one or more Sub-Meters. However, unlike a Supply Meter, a Plant will also be an
Entity in its own right so that its efficiency performance can be benchmarked and monitored.
Plant Configuration
This is an essential requirement for creating the Energy/Utility Map because it allocates the
proportion of the Plant's recorded throughput by Entity in situations where the service being
metered is supplied to more than one Entity.
Primary Contact
The key User for each Organisation who can authorise other Users with various levels of
access.
Profiled Consumption
There is sometimes a need to create a virtual Meter to thereby include in the system
significant Consumption which could not be easily recorded otherwise. This is called Profiled
Consumption and the profiling is the means of estimating this. The most likely example is
street lighting which may not be actually metered. However, it can be reasonably well profiled
by using the number and ratings of the respective kinds of lamps deployed with the expected
hours per night of lighting to produce a total Consumption figure. Although not metered as
such, street lighting electricity may also be invoiced as bulk charges based on the profile.
Purpose
This is the predominant usage/activity which is chosen for each Entity after first selecting the
appropriate Class.
Quick Tabs
These comprise the top row of every screen and some have drop-down menus as well. They
enable you to access your more commonly used screens without having to return to the e-
Bench Main Menu each time.
Record
A Record is one of two key parts of an Entity's data listed as either the Construction Attributes
Record or the Utilisation Attributes and Indicator Data Record. Where an Entity is to continue
operating, but with some modifications which only affect its Attributes, either Record can be
ended and a new one started with effect from the date of the change. Because most of the
Attributes will remain as is, the new Record rolls over the existing data so that only the
changes need to be entered. If, however, an Entity is closed, or its Class or Purpose
changed, then all Attribute data is cleared.
Results per Page
Below the Search box of most list screens and above the list itself, there is a dark blue block
with this Results per Page heading in the upper left hand corner. Just beside the heading, a
display setting can be chosen by clicking one of the available numbers between 5 and 100.
(Default setting is 20.) Immediately below that, the system shows the range of results
displayed out of the total number. On the lower right hand corner of the block, there is scope
to scroll between pages or choose a particular page number.
Sample
When benchmarking comparisons are made, the Sample comprises all of the other like
Entities in the system - ie those which have the same Purpose.
Search
On some screens of lists, just below the heading at the top, you will find a Search box, which
enables you to select a new list according to the various selection criteria available across the
top either as a type-in request or choice from a drop-down. Clicking the Search button at the
right hand end of the box produces the list as selected. At the top of the new list, the entries
chosen in the Search box are retained although dropdown options remain at their default All
setting if they were not actually set otherwise. In such a case the All can be taken to mean all
those qualifying under the other search criteria. For a type-in request, the search will select
any relevant item containing the same sequence of characters entered. This can be helpful if
the spelling or choice of an abbreviation of the sought name is uncertain because by using
only a few known-to-be certain characters, or even just one, you should quickly manage to
achieve the desired selection.
Site
This is the first sub-division of an Organisation and will contain at least one Facility. A Site
cannot be smaller than the area serviced by any Meter nor must it cross any significant
regional boundaries because climatic benchmarking corrections link back through the region
chosen for the Site.
Sub-Meter
A Sub-Meter is one that measures energy usage after that energy has already passed
through a Supply Meter (or possibly another Sub-Meter) as its Parent Meter. There is no limit
to the number of possible sub-metering levels. Sub-Meters are generally installed to measure
energy use more precisely for a specific Facility, Entity or grouping of them.
Supply Meter
A Supply Meter measures the energy supply where it is first delivered to the premises. Such
a Meter may cover the supply to a whole Site or just to one or more Facilities or Entities.
Time of Use (TOU)
This describes a form of sophisticated Meter which records Consumption and other
parameters for each half hour and then periodically transmits the data electronically to the
supplier. TOU metering enables separate monthly tariffs to be charged for usage during both
different types of days and for different times of the day. For example, with electricity and
some reticulated gas supply it is common to have a different set of TOU prices for each
month, which further distinguishes between business days and non-business days and then
finally divides each of these types of day into six separate four hourly price zones.
TOU
See Time of Use above.
Useful Shortcuts
On some screens, just below the heading at the top, you will find this box, labelled Useful
Shortcuts which offers direct links or drop-down menu choices of links to other screens likely
to be relevant. Sometimes there is also a Useful Shortcuts box at the bottom of longer
screens.
User
A User is a person authorised by the Organisation to have access to the system. Further
details on types of User and levels of access can be seen in Appendix A.
Utilisation Attributes
See under Attributes
Utility
This term is used to describe services other than Energy to be covered by the system. These
two groupings are often more conveniently combined together under the single category of
Energy/Utility Type. Utility examples are services for water consumption or wastewater
disposal which can be measured or monitored by the system. Version 3.2 includes water
consumption for the first time and there is scope to add wastewater if required.