Climate Alliance
Detailed Inspection
The Tool 2 
toolbox (PDF 631 kB) might help in the course of a detailed analysis of the building. The toolbox provides an overview on and gives links to various existing tools for cost assessment and cost-benefit analysis of energy efficiency, renewable energy and CHP measures in order to provide a sound technical and economic analysis of potential projects. These tools can only be applied by experts within the PRIME project team or contracted experts.
Once a building has been selected, the initiator of a PRIME project has to calculate exactly which measure will bring which financial gain. In order to estimate the costs of the investment and calculate the returns, a very detailed analysis of the measures has to be conducted. Either the initiator of a PRIME project will be able to provide the expertise in making such calculations or contract an expert to conduct the study. Below are listed more or less detailed spreadsheets that have been developed for similar projects. They are intended as support tools, which can be used by experts in the context of a sound expert analysis, either as part of this analysis, to improve the expert’s own spreadsheets or in addition to the expert analysis. Please note that at least some of the spreadsheets are specific to a particular context and the spreadsheets will only be helpful if the PRIME project is very similar or the assumptions within the spreadsheet are adapted to the specific context in order to support an already existing process of calculation.
First of all, there is a spreadsheet (XLS 246 kB) that includes the calculation of energy efficiency measures.
Other calculation tools can be found in the Internet. Here is a selection:
Small-scale cogeneration support toolswww.cogen.org/cogen-challenge/support/overview.htm
This webpage is part of the European information campaign on small-scale cogeneration (CHP). It provides, among others, general guidance on small-scale cogeneration and a suite of tools and materials for small-scale project development.
Furthermore, there are some rules of thumb for the use of small-scale CHP. For example, according to the BHKW-Infozentrum a small CHP plant might be already profitable in Germany, if heat energy consumption exceeds 50,000 kWh/a (better > 150,000 kWh/a).
RETScreen tools for the calculation of renewable energy, CHP and further measureswww.retscreen.net/ang/menu.php
The RETScreen models are designed to evaluate the energy production, life-cycle costs and greenhouse gas emissions reduction for renewable energy, CHP and further projects world-wide.
However, the first experiences of the Wuppertal Institute with one version of the calculation spreadsheet for solar water heating projects are mixed: on the one hand, all important data inputs and outputs are considered, on the other hand, the economic calculations can only partly be comprehended, reproduced and verified. Therefore, a plausibility check of the results is always needed.
ENSI – Key Number Software
This software is based on the ENSI Key Number Method for quick energy calculations in existing and new buildings. It requires information on building geometry, heating, ventilation and energy and power demand budget. With this information, it calculates the ECON measures that can be taken and what the specific savings will be. It has special relevance for projects undertaken in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Norway, Russia and Slovakia.
You can find a short description on:www.ensi.no/software/keynumber.html
The software can be downloaded atwww.ensi.no/software/software.html
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