BEE Certified Energy Manager flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Specific energy consumption

Energy input divided by production output, expressed in consistent units such as kWh per tonne or kcal per kg. It is the core benchmark for tracking industrial energy performance and comparing plants or periods.

Preliminary energy audit

A walk-through assessment using existing bills, nameplate data and spot measurements to identify major energy users and quick-win opportunities. It scopes the focus areas for a later detailed audit.

Simple payback period

Investment cost divided by annual net savings, expressed in years. It is easy to communicate but ignores the time value of money and any savings after the payback period ends.

Energy baseline adjustment

A regression or normalization of historical consumption against relevant variables such as production volume, degree days and operating hours. It makes savings claims valid when conditions differ from the baseline period.

ISO 50001 energy review

The analysis of energy use and consumption patterns that identifies significant energy uses, current performance levels and improvement opportunities. It forms the evidence base for energy baselines, EnPIs and action plans.

Indirect boiler efficiency

Efficiency calculated as 100 minus the sum of percentage heat losses: dry flue gas, hydrogen in fuel, moisture in fuel and air, radiation and unaccounted losses. It shows where losses occur.

Dry flue gas loss

Heat carried away by nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the stack, calculated from flue gas mass, specific heat and stack-to-ambient temperature difference. It is the largest boiler loss and falls when stack temperature drops.

Optimum excess air

The air quantity above stoichiometric requirement that minimizes total loss. Too little air produces carbon monoxide and smoke; too much increases dry flue gas loss. Typical targets are three to six percent oxygen.

Boiler blowdown rate

The percentage of feedwater discharged to control dissolved solids, computed from feedwater TDS and maximum permissible boiler water TDS. Excess blowdown wastes heat and treated water; recovery uses flash vessels or exchangers.

Air preheater

A heat exchanger that transfers heat from boiler flue gas to incoming combustion air. It lowers stack temperature, raises flame temperature and improves boiler efficiency by roughly one percent per twenty degrees Celsius recovered.

Steam trap failure modes

Traps fail open, wasting live steam, or fail closed, causing condensate logging and water hammer. Ultrasonic and temperature surveys distinguish the two, and failed-open traps are the larger energy loss.

Refrigeration COP

Coefficient of performance equals refrigeration effect divided by compressor work input. It falls as condenser temperature rises or evaporator temperature falls, so condenser cleaning and lower condensing temperature directly save energy.

Motor input power formula

Input power in kW equals the square root of three times line voltage times current times power factor, divided by one thousand. Shaft power is input power multiplied by motor efficiency.

Motor loading

Shaft power divided by rated output, usually expressed as a percentage. Efficiency peaks near seventy-five to ninety percent load, so oversized motors run inefficiently at low power factor.

Affinity laws for fans

For a fixed impeller, flow varies with speed, head with speed squared and power with speed cubed. A twenty percent speed reduction cuts shaft power by roughly half, which is why variable speed drives save more than throttling.

Pump operating point

The intersection of the pump characteristic curve with the system curve, giving actual flow and head. Changing valve position or speed moves the operating point and thus the power drawn.

Compressed air specific power

Compressor input power divided by free air delivery, typically in kW per cubic metre per minute. It rises with discharge pressure, so reducing pressure by one bar saves about seven percent of compressor energy.

Transformer optimum loading

Maximum efficiency occurs where no-load core loss equals load-dependent copper loss, usually at fifty to seventy percent of rating. Light loading wastes core loss; heavy loading raises copper loss and temperature.

Power factor correction kVAr

Reactive compensation in kVAr equals kW times the difference between the tangents of the initial and target power factor angles. Capacitors reduce line current, line losses and demand charges.

Energy Conservation Act 2001

Indian legislation that created the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, defined designated consumers, and enabled standards, labelling, energy manager certification and the PAT compliance mechanism. It was amended in 2010 and 2022.

Designated consumer

An energy-intensive industrial unit notified under the Energy Conservation Act with annual consumption above a sector threshold. It must appoint an energy manager and meet specific energy consumption targets under PAT.

ESCerts under PAT

Tradable energy saving certificates issued to designated consumers who beat their specific energy consumption targets. Consumers who miss targets must buy certificates or pay penalty, creating a market for verified savings.

Energy performance assessment steps

Define the boundary, collect operating and nameplate data, take steady-state measurements with calibrated instruments, compute specific energy consumption, compare with benchmark, then quantify savings and investment for each option.

BEE star label

A comparative label showing one to five stars based on efficiency thresholds set for each appliance category. Star ratings change when thresholds are revised, so label validity period must be checked.

OTTV and RTTV

Overall Thermal Transfer Value for walls and Roof Thermal Transfer Value for roofs. They combine conduction and solar gain through the envelope, and ECBC sets maximum limits by climate zone.

ECBC applicability

The Energy Conservation Building Code applies to commercial buildings with connected load of one hundred kilowatts or more, or contract demand of one hundred twenty kilovolt-amperes and above, covering envelope, lighting, HVAC and electrical systems.

Chiller kW per TR

Chiller power input in kilowatts divided by refrigeration tons delivered, where one ton equals three point five one seven kilowatts. Lower values are better; system kW per TR also includes pumps, towers and air handling.

Low delta-T syndrome

A condition where chilled water return is colder than design, so more flow is needed for the same cooling load. It usually signals coil fouling, three-way valves, or unbalanced distribution and raises pump energy.

Building energy performance index

Annual energy consumption in kilowatt-hours divided by carpet area in square metres. It allows comparison against benchmarks for the building category and tracks performance after retrofits.

Peak clipping

A demand side management strategy that reduces maximum demand during peak periods, using load shedding, on-site generation or storage. It lowers capacity needs and demand charges rather than total energy.

Valley filling

A demand side management strategy that adds load during off-peak hours, such as thermal storage or electric vehicle charging. It improves utility load factor and uses cheaper off-peak tariff energy.

Time-of-day tariff

Electricity pricing that differs by time block, with higher rates at peak and lower rates off-peak. It is the main price signal driving industrial load shifting and storage economics.