Download the CHP Screening Tool
A preliminary assessment of the economic feasibility of CHP is the first step in evaluating whether CHP may be right for a specific facility. The CHP Screening Tool is an Excel-based tool that can be used to provide this initial assessment. The tool is intended for users who are in the early stages of exploring a project. It uses annual energy consumption figures—whether historical load data for existing buildings or modeled loads for new buildings—to estimate the size and economic performance of a potential CHP system for the facility using cost and performance data for commercially available CHP systems.
Based on a small number of readily available user inputs, the tool provides estimates of the payback period and "CHP spark spread" (i.e., the difference between the all-in electric rate paid by the facility before CHP, and the effective electric rate paid with CHP), as well as estimates of CHP equipment and installation costs and energy cost savings, for a CHP system sized in accordance with the subject facility’s energy loads. By using this tool during the project exploration stage, project teams will gain a better understanding of CHP and CHP's potential value for their facility.
This page can be bookmarked to access the file directly.