Effective methods to measure energy savings are necessary to assess the progresses achieved by national energy efficiency plans. Still, the development of effective Monitoring and Verification (M&V) schemes remain a challenge. This Policy Brief features a set of policy recommendations resulting from the identification and analysis of a vast array of best practices on M & V schemes across Europe.

The recommendations in the field of M&V focus on aspects such as: the need to keep the design and implementation of energy efficiency measures within one Ministry; the involvement of other specialized institutions in the administration of the M&V scheme; the importance of allocating responsibilities and lines of reporting and coordination among all the involved institutions; the use of bottom-up methodologies for monitoring purposes; the adoption of one (or few) centralized information systems for an easy and standardized data collection procedure, as well as the integration of the most effective verification and reporting procedures into the M&V scheme.

_{Fotolia © alswart}