Energy Optimizations

Introduction

With the introduction of Energy Optimizations, Aurora has created the concept of a post-solar Energy Use Profile that is applied to the design. These items can be added to a design and will enable a user to model scenarios where there is an increase or decrease to electrical consumption. A cost can be associated with each item, and it will increase the project cost. 

Watch a video demonstration here.

Creating Energy Optimizations

Energy optimization items will need to be created by the account admin in order for them to be applied to a design. Navigate to Database > Energy Optimizations to get started. 

Click on +Add energy optimization to create an item. This will open the New Energy optimization page.

To create an item you will need to provide the following information:

• Name: the name of the item. This is the only required field to create an Energy optimization item.
• Icon: 22 icons are provided for items such as heat pumps, electric vehicles, windows, doors, roofs, and HVAC air. Each icon will show a descriptive tooltip when mousing over it. 
• Behavior: Each option has a different set of parameters to configure
  • Offset consumption: Items set to Offset Consumption will increase or decrease the design level energy consumption
    • Price: Setting a price will increase the cost of the system price. Setting a price and applying an item to a design will increase the System PPW and Gross PPW. To see the price in a proposal, an admin must add the Energy Optimization block to a proposal template.
    • Allow quantity to be edited on designs: Set to No or Yes. Quantity will multiply price but will not impact energy offset
    • Energy offset unit
      • %: Offset monthly energy usage by a percentage of the total
      • kWh: Offset monthly energy usage by a fixed amount
    • Same value every month
      • Yes - Enabling this setting will apply the same Monthly energy offset, either in % or kWh, to each month. 
      • No - Enabling this setting will allow a user to define a unique Monthly energy offset % or kWh per month, and determine if there will be an increase or decrease in consumption. 
    • Monthly energy offset: See above
    • Allow offset value to be edited on designs: Set to Yes or No, this feature will allow users to modify the Monthly Energy Offset value in Sales Mode or Design Mode
    • Include in single line diagram: Available only to customers in DACH, enabling this feature will display the EO items in a single line diagram.
    • Automatically add to new designs: Set to Yes or No, this feature allows admins to configure Energy Optimizations to automatically be added to every new design that a user creates.
  • Cap demand: Item set to Cap demand will limit usage to the set kW threshold per hour.

• • • Price: Setting a price will increase the cost of the system price. Setting a price and applying an item to a design will increase the System PPW and Gross PPW. To see the price in a proposal, an admin must add the Energy Optimization block to a proposal template.
    • Allow quantity to be edited on designs: Set to No or Yes. Quantity will multiply price but will not impact energy offset
    • Demand Cap: Set in kW, this value will be the threshold that energy usage will not surpass in a given hour
    • Allow demand cap to be edited on designs: Set to Yes or No, this feature will allow users to modify the demand cap kWh value in Sales Mode or Design Mode. 
    • Automatically add to new designs: Set to Yes or No, this feature allows admins to configure Energy Optimizations to automatically be added to every new design that a user creates.

Editing Energy Optimizations

Once Energy Optimization items are created, users will see those items listed on the Energy optimizations page in the Database. There are two ways to begin editing an items: 

1. Clicking on the Energy Optimization or 
2. Clicking on the ellipses, then Edit

From there, users need to click on Edit to edit any components of the Energy optimization:

Adding Energy Optimizations to a Proposal Template

To view Energy Optimizations, including name, quantity, individual, and total cost in the proposal, admins must customize their Sales Mode template to include the Energy Optimization block under Summary Line items.

The Energy Optimization block has configuration settings that allow an admin user to control the display of quantities and price totals in the proposal, along with standard settings like Title, Padding, and Margin.

Applying Energy Optimizations to a Design

Energy Optimization items can be applied to designs in both Sales Mode and Design Mode. 

Accessing in Sales Mode

In Sales Mode, a user can apply Energy Optimizations to a proposal by clicking on Usage from the top nav. This will open the Energy Usage page. To begin applying items, users will click on Edit Energy Profile.

Clicking Edit Energy Profile will open the Edit energy profile side menu

Accessing in Design Mode

In Design Mode, a user can apply Energy Optimizations to a project by clicking on the Detailed Simulation Result drawer. From there, they’ll find a section called Energy Usage. Clicking Edit Energy Profile will open the Edit Energy Profile menu.

Making Profile Adjustments

From the Energy Profile menu, users can personalize a post-solar energy usage profile using Energy optimizations configured by the admin.

• Annual Energy is the baseline consumption input in Enery Usage + the impact of Energy Optimization items
• Energy profile offset is the percentage difference of the applied Energy Optimization items
• Total Price is the cost of all applied Energy Optimization items that have an associated price
• Profile Adjustments is where Energy Optimization items can be applied and viewed. 
• Offset Summary shows a bar chart graph of current and new energy usage based on applied Energy Optimization items

Clicking on + Energy Optimization will display a search box where a user can search for and select Energy Optimization items.

When adding an Energy Optimization item, there are three available options:

• Change quantity - This will increase the total system price.
• Change Monthly energy offset - Increasing or decreasing this value will impact future energy usage by the same amount each month and be reflected in the energy usage profile.
• Change individual Monthly energy offset - Increasing or decreasing this value will impact future energy usage by the amount set per month and be reflected in the energy usage profile.

The Offset summary tab shows a graph of the current and new energy usage based on the applied energy optimization items.  

Impact on Pricing

Applying Energy Optimizations with an associated price will increase the price of your system. The price of each energy optimization will also impact the payback period, lifetime savings, and the net cost. 

Incentives

Energy optimization prices do not impact incentive values. ITC values and other incentives will be calculated based on the system price minus the cost of energy optimizations. At this time, Aurora does not support incentives for energy optimization products.

Integrated Financing Options

The list of available financing from integrated financiers will remain unchanged whether or not energy optimization products are selected. It is the responsibility of the user to select the correct financing option based on the energy optimizations added to the project.