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Quantifying Project Savings

Conservative estimates; M&V plan; avoiding overstatement (critical!).

10 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead · Last reviewed July 2026


The heart of an energy investment case is the saving it claims. Quantifying that saving credibly - neither overstating to win approval nor understating through excessive caution - is a discipline in itself, and the integrity of the whole case depends on it.

In this lesson

  • 01The central importance of credible savings
  • 02Calculating the saving
  • 03Engineering estimates and their limits
  • 04Conservative and honest estimation
  • 05Including all the value
  • 06Verification commitment
  • 07From savings to the full case
  • 08Sources and further reading