WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published a new series of protocols for determining savings from energy efficiency upgrades in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities. DOE said that using consistent methods to calculate energy savings will improve the credibility and demonstrate the impact of energy efficiency measures that help families and businesses reduce their energy bills.

Developed in collaboration with technical experts under the Uniform Methods Project, DOE said these protocols offer a straightforward approach for calculating energy savings generated from common residential and commercial energy efficiency measures.

Currently, there are differences in the way public utility commissions, utilities, contractors, and energy efficiency program administrators calculate energy savings in different jurisdictions and regions of the country. Adopting the new protocols, titled Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures (www.nrel.gov/docs/fy13osti/53827.pdf), will help to increase confidence about reported energy savings from energy efficiency programs, stated DOE.