Tariff Analysis Project
There are many software solutions that determine the energy savings due to some new technology, but virtually no solutions exist that determine the precise economic impact of these technologies. The Tariff Analysis Project, TAP, which is available at http://eplus2.lbl.gov/tariffs/ is a comprehensive data warehouse of utility tariffs and query tools designed to accurately and precisely calculate utility bills. TAP consists of a growing library of 100s of tariffs from over a hundred utilities which have been stored using a generic data format that is compatible with a variety of tariff structures. But TAP is not only a repository of tariffs, it is specifically designed to help consumers, analysts, and engineers calculate and evaluate their actual energy costs and cost savings based on actual tariffs; not estimated bills based on average prices. TAP captures detailed tariff structures, such seasonal charges, time-of-use rates, and complex block structures which if ignored can create significant error in calculating the economic impact of new technologies. Using TAP, decision makers can easily evaluate the precise economic benefit of various technological designs and management alternatives. Screen Shots
Keywords
bill calculator, utility bills, tariff, schedules, rates, rate schedules, utility rates, utility tariffs, cost savings, energy savings analysis, investment analysis
Validation/Testing
Tariffs are only published in TAP once they are validated and pass a certification process.
Expertise Required
No expertise is required although knowledge of the building consumption and demand is required to calculate bills.
Users
Web-based.
Audience
Energy professionals and consumers interested in evaluating the economic impact of new or alternative technologies and other energy saving strategies.
Input
Requires consumption and demand values to calculate bills.
Output
Tariff schedules and rates, and bill amounts.
Computer Platform
Web-based access available through any browser.
Programming Language
Perl, Visual Basic, PHP
Strengths
Extensible and generic platform for storing tariff data and calculating bills from that data given a user�s consumption and demand data.
Weaknesses
Updates to tariffs do not occur at the same time that utilities update their tariffs. Not all US utilities are stored in the database.
Contact
Company: |
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
Address: |
Box 90-4000 |
E-mail: |
|
Website: |
Availability
Access to the TAP is free through the web. Advanced features require a user login id and password.