M&V Fundamentals2 / 13
Baseline Concept & Methodology
Pre-project consumption as baseline; adjustment for weather, occupancy, production volume.
10 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead · Last reviewed July 2026
Every saving is measured against a baseline - a picture of how much energy was used before the project. Getting the baseline right is the foundation of all M&V; get it wrong and every saving figure is wrong.
In this lesson
- 01What a baseline is
- 02Why a single number is not enough
- 03The baseline as a model
- 04Choosing the baseline period
- 05Baseline conditions and boundary
- 06The static factors
- 07Getting it right
- 08Sources and further reading