Energy & Sustainability worked example

Energy Baseline Variance with baseline energy use of 3,125,000 kWh: a worked example

What does the result look like when baseline energy use reaches 3,125,000 kWh? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. an energy manager needs to compare actual energy performance with a baseline

The inputs for this scenario

  • Baseline energy use: 3,125,000 kWh (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 1,250,000)
  • Actual energy use: 1,135,000 kWh (unchanged)
  • Reference baseline energy: 1,250,000 kWh (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Energy use variance = baseline energy use - actual energy use) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 159 % for energy baseline variance percent, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,990,000 kWh for energy use variance.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3,125,000 kWh for baseline energy use.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,135,000 kWh for actual energy use.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where baseline energy use sits at 1,250,000 kWh and the headline result is 9.2 %, this scenario comes in 1,630% above the baseline at 159 %.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when baseline energy use is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. A raw baseline comparison does not normalize for production volume, weather, or operating hours, so a variance can reflect lower output rather than genuine efficiency unless you adjust the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Energy baseline variance percent: 159 % (headline result)
  • Energy use variance: 1,990,000 kWh
  • Baseline energy use: 3,125,000 kWh
  • Actual energy use: 1,135,000 kWh

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Energy Baseline Variance calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.