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282 P P a r t V : a r t V : T T h e G r e e n i n g P r o c e s sh e G r e e n i n g P r o c e s s

SMART goal setting is just one way to meet your green goals. We mention it here as
a mechanism to help keep you moving forward. However, if there is another way you’ve
had success with, by all means keep doing what you’re doing.

Equipment Checkups
In the previous chapter, we talked about some metrics you should use—first to find out where
you are, and then to keep track of your progress. In this section, we’ll talk in more depth about
that data, how you can measure it, and how it can be used to keep you moving forward.

Gather Data
Figuring out how well you’re doing in your efforts to save energy starts with having good
information on how much energy you’re using. You should start by gathering baseline
information that you can use to measure future readings against.
When you’re collecting data, keep these issues in mind:
• Determine the level of detail The scope of data collection is going to vary from
organization to organization. Some will just look to their monthly utility bill,
whereas others will check power consumption at submeters.
• Detail all energy sources Take readings of all the energy you use that is purchased
from offsite vendors. This includes electricity, gas, and so forth. Record those
amounts consumed (kWh, MMBtu, and so on) and the amount of money you spend
on each.
• Document energy use For the energy you pay for, gather energy bills, meter
readings, and any other documentation that might contain a history of your power
use. You may be able to find this in your own records, or you can contact your
utility companies and request that data. It’s best to have about 2 years’ worth of
data (or more) on hand.
• Gather facility data To normalize your data, you may have to collect non-energy-
related data for your facilities, such as the building size and hours of operation.

Tracking Your Data
When you’ve established which data you’ll be monitoring, you need to have a tracking
system in place to help compare your results. It can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet,
or you can get something as in-depth as SQL Server. To decide which tool is best for you,
consider these issues:
• Scope The type of system you use will be dictated, largely, by how much data and
what types of data are being measured and how often those measurements are
taken.
• Ease of use Although SQL Server databases are very powerful, they aren’t for the
squeamish. And although an Excel spreadsheet is easy enough to use, it might not
be powerful enough to track and cross-match the sorts of data you want to measure.
Your tracking system needs to be something that’s powerful enough for your needs,
yet easy enough to use.