Energy & Sustainability worked example

Energy Baseline Variance with baseline energy use of 625,000 kWh: a worked example

Suppose baseline energy use falls to 625,000 kWh. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Compare baseline energy use with actual energy use to show variance against a reference baseline.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Baseline energy use: 625,000 kWh (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 1,250,000)
  • Actual energy use: 1,135,000 kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Reference baseline energy: 1,250,000 kWh (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Energy use variance = baseline energy use - actual energy use.
  • Energy baseline variance percent works out to -40.8 % at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Energy use variance works out to -510,000 kWh at these inputs.
  • Baseline energy use works out to 625,000 kWh at these inputs.
  • Actual energy use works out to 1,135,000 kWh at these inputs.

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 543% below the baseline at -40.8 %.
  • It computes the difference between baseline and actual energy use, then expresses that difference as a percentage of a reference baseline. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Energy baseline variance percent: -40.8 % (headline result)
  • Energy use variance: -510,000 kWh
  • Baseline energy use: 625,000 kWh
  • Actual energy use: 1,135,000 kWh

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Energy Baseline Variance calculator, set baseline energy use to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.