Glossary

Activity metric

An activity metric is a measure of the activity that your organisation undertakes. In the simplistic example of a coffee stall, a good activity metric would be the number of cups of coffee sold in a year.

Good activity metrics can be more difficult to define and calculate for large service based organisations. However, all organisations have some way of formally measuring their activity. For example, a very common activity metric in the public sector is full time equivalent (FTE) employment.

Attributable consumption

Attributable consumption is the energy consumption that is attributable to your organisation. If your organisation is the sole occupier of a building, all the energy consumed in the building is attributable to your organisation. If you share the building with another organisation, only a portion of the total energy consumed in the building is attributable to your organisation.

Baseline period

There are several alternative baseline periods. Public bodies can choose whichever of the following baseline periods suits them best:

• 2001-2005 (energy consumption and activity metric data averaged across these years)
• 2006-2008 (energy consumption and activity metric data averaged across these years)
• 2009 (energy consumption and activity metric data for this single year)

2009 is the default baseline for all (non-school) public bodies. The 33% target savings target is applied to whichever baseline period is selected by the public body. Therefore, selecting an earlier baseline will enable a public body that has taken early action to benefit from that action by having a shorter distance to target.

Biogas

Biogas is a form of renewable energy produced from organic matter through a biological process. It is typically derived from anaerobic digestion or fermentation processes and can be produced from a diverse range of organic feedstocks including biomass, sewage, agricultural waste, certain industrial wastes (e.g. from the food & beverage manufacturing sector) and municipal waste.

Coal types

Coal, bituminous coal, manufactured ovoids and smokeless coal are fuel types used in in some older solid fuel boilers for space and water heating, and in open fires.

Data Verification Assessment (DVA)

A DVA is an expert-led assessment of the robustness of specific aspect(s) of your data. It typically involves a request to you to provide evidence in support of the data submitted. The outcome from a DVA is a finding that is issued to the organisation and has implications for how the organisation's performance result is published by SEAI. A significant proportion of M&R submissions are selected for DVA each year.

District heating

District Heating refers to systems for distributing heat through insulated pipes in the form of hot water (sometimes steam). The hot water is passed through heat exchangers to provide hot water and space heating in buildings. District heat is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh).

Energy efficiency target

The target is an energy efficiency target. Although it will deliver significant CO2 savings and should stimulate some fuel switching to more sustainable energy sources including renewables, it is not calculated as an emissions or a renewables target.

Energy Performance Indicator (EnPI)

An energy performance indicator (EnPI) is a way of measuring your organisation’s energy performance. An EnPI is calculated by dividing the total energy consumption by an activity metric. An EnPI may also be referred to as specific energy consumption.

EPI and EnPI mean the same thing, EnPI has simply been chosen because it is used in the ISO International Standard ISO 50001 on energy management systems

Fossil fuel

Fossil Fuels include natural gas, gasoil, fuel oils, LPG, diesel, petrol, kerosene, coal and peat.

Glidepath

The glidepath (or target glidepath) is a representation of the level of energy performance required over time to meet the 2020 target. For an organisation, it is expressed as the EnPI trend over time that shows a constant rate of efficiency improvement between the baseline and 2020.

GPRN

A Gas Point Registration Number (GPRN) is a unique reference number assigned to every gas point on the natural gas network. A gas point is a point where gas is off-taken from the gas network system, measured by a meter and consumed by an end user. Each individual gas point has its own GPRN. GPRNs have up to 7 digits. An example of what a GPRN looks like is: 2354868.

Heating oil

There are three broad categories of heating oil:

• Kerosene is also known as paraffin or 28-Second heating oil. It is typically used in boilers for space and water heating, and is reddish in colour.
• Gasoil is also known as marked gasoil, distillate, 35-second heating oil, green diesel or marked diesel. It is typically used in boilers for space and water heating, and is dyed green in colour.
• Light, medium and heavy fuel oils are a range of heavier, higher viscosity heating oils typically only used in very large ‘industrial’ boilers.

 The vast majority of heating oil used by public bodies is either kerosene or gasoil.

Landfill gas

Landfill gas is a type of biogas that is produced from landfills. In Ireland, biogases are typically consumed within the confines of, or immediately adjacent to, the facilities at which they are produced.

Listed end-user

The listed end-user is the legal entity or individual that is named under the supply address on the electricity or natural gas bill. Some energy suppliers use the phrase premises supplied or similar, instead of supply address. Note that the supply address should not be confused with the billing address (even though in some cases both can be the same).

The listed end-user as shown under the supply address should include the name of the organisation in the first line.

LPG

LPG or liquefied petroleum gas is manufactured in oil refining, crude oil stabilisation and natural gas processing plants. It consists of propane and/or butane gases. It is stored under pressure as a liquid in cylinders or bulk tanks and is delivered to end users in small cylinders (sold in kilograms) or in tankers from which it is transferred to bulk tanks onsite (sold in litres). It is typically used in boilers and for cooking.

Milled peat

Milled peat is air dried peat in powder or crumb form. It is typically only used in power generating stations.

MPRN

A Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) is a unique 11-digit number assigned to every single electricity connection and meter in the country. Each individual meter has its own MPRN. An example of what an MPRN looks like is: 10009998888.

Natural gas

Natural gas is a naturally occurring fossil fuel that is composed mainly of methane. It is piped through a national gas transmission & distribution network (in gaseous form, under pressure) directly to end users in the industrial, power generation, services and domestic sectors.

Network-connected energy

In the context of this system, network-connected energy supplies refer to either electricity or natural gas.

Non-network-connected energy

In the context of this system, non-network-connected energy supplies refer to all energy supplies that are not network connected i.e. all energy types except natural gas and electricity. Note that LPG is a non-network-connected energy supply.

Peat briquettes

Peat briquettes are a manufactured product made from compressed dried peat. They are typically used in open fires or small solid fuel boilers (domestic scale). They are sold in bales (1 bale = 12.6 kg = 0.0126 tonne).

Renewable energy

For the purposes of this reporting process, Renewable Energy includes wood chips, wood pellets, wood briquettes, biofuels and onsite wind & hydro generation

Road transport fuels

Road diesel, which is also known as auto diesel, white diesel or DERV is used in nearly all diesel-engined road vehicles. It is clear in colour. Conventional specifications for road diesel include small quantities of blended biodiesel.

Petrol, which is also known as gasoline, motor gasoline or motor spirit is used in nearly all petrol-engined road vehicles. It is also used in some mobile plant and equipment, and some marine engines. It is clear in colour. Conventional specifications of petrol include small quantities of blended bioethanol.

Biodiesel is a biofuel produced from vegetable or animal oils, of diesel quality. Examples of biodiesels include those based on FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) and derived from pure plant oil (PPO), used cooking oil (UCO), and tallow. Vehicles can run on pure biodiesel but it is typically part of a blended product with road diesel. The percentage of the blend can vary.

Bioethanol is a biofuel produced from biomass and/or the biodegradable fraction of waste. Examples of bioethanol include ethanols produced from sugar beet, wheat, corn and sugar cane. Some vehicles run on pure bioethanol but it is typically part of a blended product with petrol. The percentage of the blend can vary. The vast majority of road vehicles use either road diesel or petrol.

Sod peat

Sod peat is rectangular shape and air-dried before use. It is sold by weight and typically only used in open fires.

Thermal energy

In the context of the reporting system, thermal energy refers to all solid, liquid and gas fuels used for non-transport purposes. This includes both fossil and renewable fuels used in boilers, space & process heating systems, catering, fuel based electricity generators (onsite), CHP and in all plant, equipment & other non-road mobile vehicles. It also includes any heat imported from district heating schemes, net of any heat exported by the public body to district heating schemes.

Total final consumption (TFC)

TFC is the energy consumption recorded on meters and bills.

Total primary energy requirement (TPER)

The total primary energy requirement (TPER) is a measure of all of the energy consumed by the organisation, which accounts for the energy that is consumed and/or lost in transformation, transmission and distribution processes (e.g. electricity generation transmission and distribution). The TPER is calculated by applying published conversion factors to each element of the organisation’s energy consumption. There are different conversion factors for electricity and for each of the thermal and transport fuel types.

Wood fuels

There are three broad categories of wood fuels used in the public sector:

• Wood chips are a renewable fuel comprising small pieces of wood that can be used in boilers for space and water heating. They are sold by weight and can have moisture contents of between 30-60%, depending on the source of the chips and the duration and nature of their storage prior to use. Typical moisture content is 35%. If you consume wood chips with a moisture content other than 35%, you should report them as an ‘other energy type’.
• Wood pellets are a manufactured product comprising wood shavings and sawdust that have been formed into pellets. They are sold by weight and typically used for heating in boilers and stoves.
• Wood briquettes / wood logs are typically used in some older solid fuel boilers for space and water heating as well as in open fires. Wood briquettes are a manufactured product made by compressing wood particles.