Utility Rate (UR)

Overview of the Utility Rate Checks

Utility Rate checks verify that utility rates from the approved source were used for all applicable fuels, that the required supporting information is included in the submittal, and that modeling inputs and outputs reflect the reported rate structure. Table 4 summarizes the checks included in the Utility Rates section. This group of checks may be skipped if project documents compliance using unit other than energy cost, such as site or source energy or emissions, which may be allowed by some rating authorities and jurisdictions.

Table 4: Utility Rates Checks Overview

Focus of the Check Type of Check Proposed Design Baseline/Budget Design
Utility Rates CF inputs reflect design documents UR01 NA
Simulation outputs consistent with CF UR02 UR02
Simulation inputs consistent with CF UR03 UR03
Legend: PASS/FAIL/NA outcome is determined automatically in the Quality Control Checks tab of the Compliance Form.

UR01 The utility rate for electricity, natural gas and other applicable energy sources are based on the approved source

90.1 2016 and 2019/2022 ECB

11.4.3.2/12.4.3.2: The rates for purchased energy (such as electricity, gas, oil, propane, steam and chilled water) must be approved by the AHJ.

90.1 2016 and 2019/2022 PRM

Section G2.4.2: Either the actual rates for purchased energy or state average energy prices published by U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) for commercial building customers may be used, but rates from different sources may not be mixed in the same project.

Review Tips
  1. All fuels applicable to the baseline/budget or proposed design must be listed on the Energy Sources tab of the Compliance Form. Table 1 includes the list of fuels and description of utility rates for each.
    The fee structures for each fuel is further described in Tables 2-4 of the Energy Sources tab. Table 2 is used for reporting rates that have uniform charges, Table 3 for time of use charges, Table 4 for block charges. These tables also list Source of Data for each rate which may include Actual Rates, EIA Rates or Other.
  2. With the EIA option, the most recent annual average rates for electricity and natural gas published at the EIA website should be used. These rates are readily available and are simple usage charges such as $/kWh.
  3. The actual rates may be more challenging to establish for a new construction project, as several different rate classes and choice of electricity suppliers may apply. The actual rates may also be harder to model as they often include block charges, time of use charges, demand charges, ratchet clauses, etc. However, using the actual rates makes models more representative of the post-occupancy energy costs and allows capturing impact of electricity demand and time of use on compliance. If actual utility rates are used on the project, the supporting information should be included in the submittal (Submittal Checklist #7), such as rate description from the utility company.

UR02 The difference between the average (virtual) modeled budget/baseline and proposed utility rates for electricity, natural gas and other applicable energy sources are as expected.

Review Tips
  1. Background
    The average annual rate, often referred to as the virtual rate, is calculated for each fuel as the ratio of the annual fuel consumption to the annual fuel cost. For example, if the simulation output reports show that the baseline annual electricity use was 509,150 kWh and the annual electricity cost was $76,370, the virtual electricity rate is $76,370 / 509,150kWh = 0.15 $/kWh.

    For projects that used EIA rates or the actual rates with fixed usage charges (e.g. $/kWh, $/Therm) and no demand, time of use, or block charges, the virtual rate is expected to be the same for the budget/baseline and the proposed design and match the rate reported on the Energy Sources tab of the Compliance Form. For projects that use more complex utility rate structures, virtual rates may differ between the budget/baseline and proposed design. For example, the virtual electricity rate for the proposed design may be lower than for the budget (baseline) design if the proposed design reduces the peak demand and the modeled electricity rates include demand charges.

  2. Virtual utility rates for the budget/baseline and proposed design that are not equal for projects with simple utility rate structures or differ by more than 5% for projects with complex utility rate structures, should be flagged.

UR03 The modeled utility rates for electricity, natural gas and other fuels applicable to the project are as reported in the Compliance Form and are the same in the baseline/budget and proposed design model.

Review Tips
  1. Review input and output reports to confirm that the utility rate structure described in the submittal was properly modeled. This QC check should be performed if UR02 check fails or instead of UR02.
eQUEST
ES-D, ES-E, ES-F
Trane TRACE 700
Library Members entered values report Utility rates section for utility rate input, Monthly Energy Consumption and Monthly Utility Cost reports for consumption and cost output
Trane TRACE 3D Plus
Site Consumption Summary report for energy consumption for each fuel and Economic and Life Cycle Costs Summary report for consumption costs for each fuel
IESVE
Energy Model Output Report, PRM Compliance Report, ECB Compliance Report, BPRM Report, ASHRAE 90.1-2016 PCI Report
EnergyPlus
eplustbl.html ‘Tariff Report’ report
OpenStudio
Not Applicable
Carrier HAP v5
“Electric Rate Inputs”, “Fuel Rate Inputs” reports. Virtual rate found on “Billing Details” report, generated by energy or fuel source.
Design Builder
Utility:Tariffs sections in Input Data file (.idf)