United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Date Received: ______Contract No: ______

Agricultural Energy Management Plan Review Checklist

Conservation Activity Code 128

Purpose: This checklist provides guidance for NRCS and Technical Service Providers as a review of the contents that should be included in an Agricultural Energy Management Plan, (AgEMP). Please refer to the CAP128 AgEMP Criteria for specific elements to be addressed.

Agricultural Energy Management Plan
State/County: / Date Plan Submitted:
Producer/Owner: / Technical Service Provider:
I / Definition: An Agricultural Energy Management Plan (AgEMP) is a baseline assessment for the agricultural enterprise of the energy consuming activities and components. The plan documents a year of on-farm energy consumption and the strategy by which the producer can prioritize on-farm opportunities to increase efficiency of their energy utilization. The producer was involved with inventory and evaluation of the farm operation, the energy management planning process and identified their goals and objectives.

Minimum components of an AgEMP (128) shall include:

III / A. / General AgEMP Criteria
c / An AgEMP shall be developed by a certified Technical Service Provider (TSP). The AgEMP will meet the Type 2 on-farm energy audit minimum criteria established in the ANSI/ASABE S612 standard Performing On-farm Energy Audits (July 2009), hereafter referred to as the industry standard.
III
Cont. / B. / Criteria for Specific Elements of an AgEMP
III
Cont. / 1 / Cover page and Signature page:
c /

a) (1), (2) Farm name, owner name, address, county and state. Phone number of producer.

c /

a) (3) All enterprises of the farm, with all distinct farm enterprises addressed and identified.

c /

b) (1) TSP name, TSP number, mailing address, email, and primary phone number.

(2) Staff involved in site visit, analysis, and report writing
(3) TSP certification statement
(4) Signature of TSP and date of signature

c)  (1) Landowner concurrence and acceptance statement

(2) Signature of landowner and date of signature

d)  NRCS approval section (left blank, to be completed by NRCS)

III
Cont. / 2 /
Summary Report of Energy Practices - The following Tables 1. Summary of Energy Efficiency Improvements and Table 2. Estimated Annual Reduction in Emissions, as formatted below must be completed and inserted near the beginning of the AgEMP report.
c /
Table 1 with each of the recommended measures, prioritized according to payback period.
c /
Table 2 Estimated Annual Reduction in Emissions: As per the corresponding estimated greenhouse gases and estimated air pollutant reductions for each recommended energy improvement measure listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Summary of Energy Efficiency Improvements

Estimated Reduction in Energy Use / Estimated Costs, Savings, Payback, and Prioritization for Implementation
Recommended
Measure1 / Electric Savings (kWh) / Natural Gas Savings (ccf)3 / Propane Savings (gal) / Other1 / Energy Savings (MMBTU) / Installed Cost [a], $ / Energy Cost Savings [b], $/yr. / Payback in Years
[a / b], yr. / Est. Life in Years2
Totals

1) Use the Other column to aggregate any miscellaneous sources of energy.

2) Estimated Life is expected useful life of the equipment recommended with standard O&M activities.

3) Unit of purchase

Table 2: Estimated Annual Reduction of Emissions. (Environmental benefits for each recommended measure.)

Environmental Benefits1
Recommended Measure / Energy Savings (MMBtu) / Greenhouse Gases2 / Air Pollutant Co-Benefits2
Estimated CO2 (lbs) / Estimated N2O (lbs) / Estimated CH4 (lbs) / Estimated SO2 (lbs) / Estimated NOx (lbs)
Totals:

1)  Environmental Benefits values may be calculate from http://cometfarm.nrel.colostate.edu/QuickEnergy

2)  CO2 is a green-house gas; SO2 and NOx are ambient air contaminants

NOTE / In addition to the above comprehensive farm energy baseline, the AgEMP will document the major activities associated with each of the individual farm enterprises.
If a major activity is not applicable to the farm enterprise or the major activity has no opportunities for improved energy use, the report needs to state this.
III
Cont. / 3 / Background and Site Information ̶ The AgEMP will provide a narrative for
c /

a.  Date the AgEMP field visit was completed

c /

b.  Facility location(s), for all enterprises associated with the landowner’s agricultural production operation.

c /

c.  Description of type and size of the operation and overall management scheme (specify livestock management, production levels, and any unusual factors that affect energy use).

c /

d.  Producer concerns and objectives for the farm enterprise(s).

c /

e.  An aerial map or equivalent plan view drawing indicating the locations of the farm operation, including all the structures associated with the AgEMP.

III
Cont. / 4 / Current Equipment and Baseline Energy Use ̶ comprehensive documentation of the current energy resources (e.g. electricity, natural gas, etc.) necessary for the farm enterprise activities, and total current annual cost data for energy. See CAP 128 for details
c / a) Usage and cost for baseline energy consumption separated by energy resource.
c / b) Baseline energy use from a prior, typical 12 month period.
c / (1)  Describing the components, primary equipment, and/or details of the activity, as appropriate according to the amount of energy used, such as:
(a) Type and size of equipment (age, make, and model).
(b) Component equipment ratings/production levels such as hp, Btu input, Btu output, efficiency, lighting levels (lumens or Ft-c), ventilation levels (CFM/Watt)
(c)  Identify current output levels of facility components, such as lighting and ventilation.
(i.)  Determine if the current output levels are adequate to meet producer needs or minimum standard requirements.
(ii.) Identify if simple replacement (replacing components at current number and output) is adequate to meet producer needs or minimum standard requirements.
(d) Auxiliary items to enhance management such as thermostats, timers, manual overrides of automatic systems.
(e) Where necessary for building envelope, identify the current estimated R-value and insulation thickness as appropriate.
(f)  Identify any necessary changes to bring the facility up to industry and NRCS standards and any code violations related to safety/fire hazards.
c / (2)  Estimate of the annual energy consumption provided, by energy type for each activity.
c /

(3)  Estimate of hours of use per year is provided for each component evaluated.

c /

(4)  Major activities which have no opportunities for improved energy use are explained.

c / c)  Simple component replacement identified (replacing components at current number and output) where adequate. Identification of upgrades or increased size/number of component(s) to meet producer needs or minimum standard requirements.
III
Cont. / 5 / Recommended Energy Improvement Measures/Components:

a)  For each energy improvement Measure examined and documented in Tables 1 and 2, the report must present:

c /

(1)  Replacement component alternatives (number, type, and location of components) – is an increase of component output needed to meet the applicable NRCS practice standard requirements or the landowner’s objectives?

·  If greater levels needed (such as lighting or ventilation), is there a list of the alternatives available for the component replacement?

·  Is there a justification for each alternative with a description of benefit and costs?

c /

(2)  The estimated energy savings of component alternative—first in the common sale units (kWh, gallons, etc.) and then converted to energy units of millions of British thermal units (MMBtu).

c /

(3)  The estimated annual energy cost savings of component alternative - in dollars per year as a departure from the baseline energy costs.

c /

(4)  The estimated installed cost in dollars.

c / (5)  The estimated reductions in emissions for CO2, N2O, CH4, SO2, and NOx.
c / (6)  The simple payback period of recommended component measure in years.
c / (7)  Estimated life span, in years, of the recommended component measure.
c /

b)  Energy use reduction and emissions reduction is completed for all recommended practices in Tables 1 and 2.

c /

c)  Sufficient product information is included for planning needs.

c /

d)  Included are: calculations and any assumptions made to estimate the costs of energy savings values included in the report.

c /

e)  Documentation for recommended improvement measures/components, sufficient to allow a third party to understand and evaluate the recommendations.

c /

f)  Non-discounted prices are used for reporting the installation cost and payback period of recommended components.

c /

g)  Recommended practices are closely linked to improvements that optimize energy use. Improvements primarily related to production are documented separately in the Report Appendix.

c /

h)  The report clearly prioritizes those energy efficient measures/components that have the most benefit.

c /

i)  The AgEMP is organized by enterprise and major activity as listed in Table 1 of the ASABE S612 standard.

III
Cont. / 6 / Report Appendix - Technical documentation of sources used for the AgEMP. Actual documents or references that contain the technical information used to estimate energy savings and costs, such as:
c / a.  Fact sheets.
b.  Existing product information or manufacturer product information sheets, etc.
c.  Product recommendations and/or comparisons of specific products.
d.  Journal article citations.

IV

/

Deliverables

c / A.  Separate sections for separate enterprises of a farm are generated and bound together with a single cover and signature page
c / B.  Completed hardcopy and/or electronic copy of the finalized AgEMP report, with the TSP signature delivered to the Client.
c / C.  Completed electronic copy of the completed AgEMP report with original signatures delivered to the NRCS Field Office.
Yes / No / NRCS Checklist Approval
c / c / I have reviewed this Agricultural Energy Management Plan, and it meets all the technical criteria required for the Conservation Activity Plan 128 contract.
NRCS Representative Name and Title (print or type):
NRCS Representative Signature: / Date:
Notes (If “No” is checked, include detailed reasons for denial, comments, missing items that need to be added, etc.):

Agricultural Energy Management Plan - Checklist – Code 128 August 2017