Examples of success criteria, indicators and baselines for different types of projects

Contents
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2.
3.
4.
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6.

Energy audits
Energy advice
Financial support and services
Information and education campaigns
Metering and feedback
Voluntary programmes and commitments

Notes concerning the tables

Your project may have other success criteria than those exemplified here. Examples of other success criteria can include particular social goals like reduction
of fuel poverty or stimulation of employment in a certain region. Please take these examples as indicative only. For further reading and more indicators, we
recommend the following references and sites:
IEA DSM Evaluation Guidebook, Volume 1 (http://www.ieadsm.org/)
Changing Energy Behaviour: Guidelines for Behavioural Change Programmes (http://www.energy-behave.net/pdf/Guidelines_Changing_Energy_Behaviour.pdf)
AID-EEE Guidelines for the monitoring, evaluation and design of energy efficiency policies (http:// http://www.aid-ee.org/)
It may be difficult to define baselines for many of the indicators, and all projects cannot afford to conduct baseline studies. Depending on your resources and
the expectations of your funding bodies, you may consider using proxy data for baselines like:
national and regional statistics
existing general knowledge, attitude and behaviour surveys in your country
expert interviews on the current status at the start of the project
survey with small, random sample of target group
available default data from existing CO2 tools or existing data on the specific consumption of various appliances

1. Energy audits: examples of success criteria, indicators, baselines and ways to measure
Possible success criteria

Possible indicators

Possible baselines

How to measure

Increased customer awareness

of energy use

Number of audits conducted (or share of audited

facilities in a sector)

Depends on target group: maybe

0, maybe people already had one:
find out via survey?

Counts and records of audits

Increased customer awareness

of energy use

Attention to and use of audits/ Number of investments Depends on target group: maybe
made
0, maybe people already had one:
find out by means of survey? (to test
for additionality, find out plans of
investments/changes before the
project)

Number of changes
implemented, Number /
amount of investments made

Savings potential what measures have been

identified and the savings in energy and
corresponding financial costs and savings
Theoretical savings potentials of implemented
measures what measures have been undertaken
and estimate of energy savings thus achieved

Estimation of savings during

planning phase of project and
evaluation of savings after
implementation of measures

Reduced energy consumption

Energy consumption before audit

(Default data from statistics)

Amount of energy use

Measured savings at the site level shows whether

implemented measures actually reduce the energy
consumption as expected
Verified results usually a statistical study of results
of implemented measures

Customers & stakeholders:

overall satisfaction with the
programme

Number of new energy management practices

adopted (self-reported behaviour)

Existing level of investments,

practices or energy consumption

Survey, measurements of
energy consumption

Customer & stakeholder survey: overall satisfaction

(project, process, outcomes)

Customer & stakeholder

expectations

Survey including customer

ratings (and qualitative data)

2. Energy advice: examples of success criteria, indicators, baselines and ways to measure
Possible success criteria

Possible indicators

Possible baselines

How to measure

Reaching a large number of

people

Number of advice contacts, number of people

attending events

Available advice at the start of the

project

Keeping count and records of

customer contacts

Mapping problems and offering

suitable solutions

Relevance to recipients/participants

Status of know-how /information of

participants

(Satisfaction) survey using

quantitative and qualitative
data

Promotion of energy efficiency

investments and improved
energy management practices

Share of new investments generated as a result of

the advice1 among those receiving advice

Level of f energy investments at the

start of the project

Records of number and

amount of investments

Share of advice recipients reporting new practices

Status of recipients practices at the

start of the project

Survey, self-reported
behaviour

Increased customer awareness

and competency, capacity to
advise others

Knowledge tests
Self-reports of new practices (also changes in
physical environment that allow new practices)

Baseline customer survey:

Customer surveys/interviews
knowledge and practices at the start comparing knowledge and
of the project
practices before/after project

Customers: lower energy bills,

improved comfort, convenience

Customer satisfaction with the outcomes of the

project

Customer expectations

Customer survey

Customers & stakeholders:

overall satisfaction with the
programme

Overall satisfaction (project, process, outcomes)

Customer & stakeholder

expectations

Survey

Especially for larger investments, it is not likely that all investments made within the target group are directly due to the advice. People considering an investment are more
likely to seek advice. Thus, it is necessary to find out how many of the customers would have made the investment even without the advice.

3. Financial support and services: examples of success criteria, indicators, baselines and ways to measure
Possible success criteria

Possible indicators

Possible baselines

How to measure

Promotion of energy efficiency

investments

Number or share of customers making Number at start of initiative

use of support/service
Level of investments at the start of the
initiative
Number/value of investments made

Customer contacts and

records

Energy savings from the measures

applied

Energy consumption compared to

baseline

Figures on the total consumption of electricity

or heat / figures on specific consumption of
appliances

kWh consumption, gas/oil

consumption
Audit/analysis

Promotion of low-carbon solutions:

e.g. appliances, technology, systems
of provisions, behavior options

Increase in the adoption/market share

of low-carbon solutions

Adoption/market share of low-carbon solutions Sales statistics, market share

at the start of the project
statistics?
CO2 profile
Carbon footprint of
households or enterprises

Cost-effectiveness

Money and other resources

used/energy or CO2 emissions saved

Comparison to other projects/programmes

with the same goal

Net Present Value of

programme impacts i.e., a
sum of the benefits of the
programme during its effective
period divided by the costs of
the programme plus the cost
of capital (interest rate)

Customers: improved comfort,

convenience

Experience of improved comfort,

convenience

Baseline assessment (pre-project survey) of

current feeling of comfort and convenience

Survey /questionnaire on
qualitative data

Customers: lower energy bills,

kWh used per month/per year,

Monthly energy (or yearly average) of energy

used before start of project, statistics/old bills
before measures taken

Check bills, but take into

account: free rider or
deadweight effects, rebound
effect

Customers & stakeholders: overall

satisfaction with the project

Experience overall of satisfaction

(project, process, outcomes)

Customer & stakeholder expectations

Customer & stakeholder

survey

4. Information and educations campaigns: examples of success criteria, indicators, baselines and ways to measure
Possible success criteria

Possible indicators

Possible baselines

How to measure

Reaching a particular audience with

the intended message

Products delivered by the campaign,

media & partners involved, number of
people exposed to the message

Amount and quality of information existing

Number of newspaper/online
items, number of readers,
clicks on webpage

Pre-project survey on the level and quality of

consumers knowledge and skills

Survey, self-report on
awareness, attitude;
information

Pre-project sales statistics on energy efficient

products, interviews with salespersons

Sales statistics/market share

information/ information from
appliance shops

Pre-project survey

Survey, self-reports e.g. via

energy diary

Changes in awareness, knowledge,

Changes in awareness, knowledge
attitudes and internalised norms (i.e., attitudes
what people feel they should do)
Increased information search on
energy-efficient products
Awareness of energy efficient products
and changes in future decision-making
processes
Changes in behaviour

Self-reported behaviour

5. Metering and feedback: examples of success criteria, indicators, baselines and ways to measure
Possible success criteria

Possible indicators

Possible baselines

How to measure

Increased customer awareness of

energy use

Attention to and use of feedback

self-report from survey

Pre-project survey: check of current

awareness and use of feedback (if any)

Comparison of awareness
before/after project on the
basis of surveys

Reduced energy use

Changes in energy use after feedback

Energy use before provision of feedback

kWh/gas/oil consumption

Customer expectations

Customer/stakeholder survey

Overall satisfaction with the project

Customer survey: overall satisfaction
(e.g. the extent to which it is
(project, process, outcomes)
perceived of as useful and interesting
by the recipients)

6. Voluntary programmes and commitments: examples of success criteria, indicators, baselines and ways to measure
Possible success criteria

Possible indicators

Possible baselines

How to measure

Getting energy users on board

Number of participants

Number before project

Participant count

Supporting change

Number of participants receiving

training etc.

Number before project

Participant count

Improvements made

Number of improvements made

Number before project

Counting and keeping records

of improvements made

Energy consumption (CO2 emissions) when

joining the project

kWh/gas /oil consumption

resulting emissions

Default data form statistics/calculations

Carbon footprint of
household /enterprise

Customer & stakeholder expectations

Customer & stakeholder

survey on willingness to
participate again / to realize
the recommendations

Energy conservation, CO2 reductions Changes in energy consumption,

in target group
calculated CO2 emissions

Customers & stakeholders: overall

satisfaction with the programme

Overall satisfaction (project, process,

outcomes)