ABSTRACT
The Energy Use Index is the most common means of expressing the total energy consumption for each building. Care should be taken to distinguish between billing and actual (metered) demand on the utility bill. Actual demand is the figure registered on the meter and should be used to evaluate power requirements and the load factor of the facility. A low load factor is a good indication that a facility has demand spikes at some point in the billing period. Many energy management control systems have demand limiting and load shedding capabilities which can help maintain acceptable load factors if properly used. Creating graphs, tables, and pie charts provide essential information, but in a more visually appealing form than text. Graphing consumption and cost data makes it easier to see consumption trends and understand how each facility uses energy. Base loads are the energy-using systems that consume a continuous amount of energy throughout the year.
