Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Should I fill out the Campus or Utility Operational System Survey?

Please complete the 2018 Operation Survey for Campus Systems if your organization is an educational institution (public or private university or college, a community college, etc.) or healthcare campus.

Please complete the 2018 Operational Survey for Utility Systems if your organization is classified as one of the following:

  • Airport
  • Commercial
  • Downtown/Utility
  • Government/ Municipal
  • Healthcare/Hospital
  • Industrial
  • Military
  • Other

How do I fill out the form if my organization has multiple systems/plants?

If your organization has multiple systems (i.e. Two CHP systems; one system in Boston, MA and one system in Austin, TX) please fill out two different surveys.

If your organization has multiple plants under one system, the number of surveys that should be completed depends on how your organization structures these plants. If each plant is treated separately (i.e. billed separately, separate data collection, operated under different supervision, etc.) please fill out a single survey for each of the plants. If all of the plants are operated as a single system under central administration, please fill out one survey.  

If you are still unsure how your systems/plants should be treated, please contact Jacky Kinson at jacky.idea@districtenergy.org or (508) 366-9339.

I do not know all of the information in this survey. Am I allowed to share this survey with other members of my organization?

Yes! The survey consists of multiple sections which may require information from other members of your organization. Please share the survey internally with those who could also contribute.

Can I submit a partially completed survey?

Some sections may not apply to your system and do not need to be completed. We will gladly accept partially completed surveys but urge you to complete the survey to your best ability. 

What if the data for my system has different units than those listed in the survey?

If your records do not correspond with the units provided on the survey, please try your best to convert your data to the given units. If the conversions are not readily available, please indicate the units you are reporting in the text box in addition to the quantity.             

If I provide data for the survey, will it be shared with others?

We understand that this information may be sensitive and therefore, the data will only be shared in the aggregate and all responses will be treated as anonymous. IDEA will never share or disclose individual system information.

I still have questions. Who can I ask?

Please contact Jacky Kinson, the Operational Systems Survey Intern, at jacky.idea@districtenergy.org or (508) 366-9339.               

Section Specific Questions

Performance Data pg. 5

How should I report the annual production by utility?

Please report the annual production utility and the correct units, steam in klb, hot water in MMBtu, chilled water in ton-hours, and electricity in MWh, in the text box when you report the quantity. 

Are the operating/planned outage/unplanned outage hours (reliability) for the central plant (production) or by delivered utility (system)?

Central Plant (production). 

Do unplanned outage hours include unplanned outage hours for each piece of equipment or for the entire system?

Unplanned outage hours are the number of hours the entire system is unexpectedlly interrupted and unable to produce or distribute the thermal or electrial energy.

Annual Plant Efficiency pg. 5

How do I report my annual plant efficiency?

Please report your send-out annual plant efficiency

Should I include the electricity for auxiliaries in addition to the fuel BTU's in the steam efficiency calculation?

Yes, please include the electricity for auxiliaries in the calculation by converting the electricity from kWh to BTUs. Adding the fuel BTU's and the electric BTU's will obtain the total input in BTUs corresponding to the output of steam/hot water in BTU.

Water Use Data pg. 5

In the CHP row, does the water include the total plant (steam, boilers, cooling towers, etc.)? Or just the power cycle (cooling towers) and the steam water use be reported in the first row?

The CHP water use should include the total central plant water use including steam boilers and cooling towers.

What is Recovered Water from Operations?

Recovered water from operations, reclaimed water, is the amount of waste water (gallons) from other operations that is collected and re-used in the system.

Metering Data pg. 7

Should I report billing meters at customers or all meters including in-plant meters?

Please report the number of meters at customer buildings. Do not report in-plant meters.

End User Data pg. 8

How do I report a building that could be classified as multiple building categories? For example, one building with research facilities/labs, classrooms, and offices?

For the buildings that are a combination of categories, please report them in the category coresponding to the majority of what the space if used for. For example, for a building with 55% research facilities/labs, 35% classroom, and 10% offices, report the building in the "Research Facility/Lab" category. In the case of an even split, please put the building in the category which is more energy intensive, e.g. a research lab would use more energy than a clasroom.

Distribution Data pg. 10

Should I report nominal, operating, or design temperatures and pressures?

Please report operating temperatures and pressures.

My supply and return piping is buried in the same trench, do I need to report both supply and return trench miles?

If your supply and return pipes are buried in the same trench and are collected as trench miles, please enter the total trench miles in both the supply and return columns.

If your data is collected in feet, please use the following conversion to convert feet into miles.

5280 ft = 1 mi

For the CHP row, do you mean this to be electric distribution to serve customers and electric transmission to inter-connect to the grid?

It is meant to be electric distribution to serve customers. Please do not report electric transmission.

Administrative Data pg. 11

In the Annual Investment section, should I include all operating costs, including labor, for Replacement/Repairs/Maintenance?

Yes, please include all operating costs, including labor, in the annual investment for replacement/repairs/maintenance projects. Please report the investments from the same year as the data you are reporting. If you are reporting FY 2017 data, please also report investments from FY 2017. 

Environmental Data pg. 12

How do I report my emissions?

Instead of reporting emissions factors, we ask that you please report the annual CO2 source emissions for the plant based on fuel consumption (NG, electricity, etc.). Please report the emissions in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCDE). Please report this either somewhere in the table with a note and proper units, or in the email along with your submission.

1 metric ton = 1000 kg = 1.10231 US tons

Didn't find your answer? Just Ask.

Kristen Hawkins

Senior Director, Policy and Programs
kristen.idea@districtenergy.org
(508) 366-9339