Understanding your simulation results

We understand that the world of renewable technology can be unfamiliar to many people, with various terminologies and values that may seem new. However, we believe that analyzing and understanding these important concepts shouldn't require a technical degree. That's why we have developed the enshift evaluation tool, which highlights each result you receive and provides clear descriptions for better comprehension.

When it comes to analyzing the potential of installing renewable technologies in a building, there are three categories of values that building owners should consider: investment details, CO2 emission data, and energy data. Let's delve into each category individually and focus on the most important metrics:

Investment Details:

• Estimated Total Cost and cost per technology [kCHF]: This metric includes all costs associated with the materials and installation work hours, based on our estimation derived from the size of the installation. We provide separate estimates for each of the following technologies:
  • Solar
  • Batteries
  • Sole/water heat pump
  • Air/water heat pump
• Return per year (currency depends on the country): This estimation reflects the savings and profits that can be achieved through the installations. Savings are typically attained by self-generating energy, such as in the case of photovoltaic systems. The return for the entire transformation is calculated as the difference between the operating expenses (Opex) before and after the installation. Opex includes the cost of the primary energy source, operation and maintenance expenses, and exports. The return per year for solar installations encompasses self-consumption savings and feed-in sales, while the return for heating installations takes into account the initial primary source cost (e.g., gas or oil) and the additional electricity cost resulting from the heat pump.
• Yield per year in % of initial cost [%]: This metric indicates the annual yield as a percentage of the initial cost of the installation, providing a basis for cash flow analysis.
• Lifetime of installation [yr]: This value represents the expected lifespan of the installation and serves as a reference for calculating cash flows and long-term financial projections.
• Return by self-consumption [CHF/EUR/USD per year]: This metric quantifies the return on investment generated through self-consumption of the self-produced electricity. It indicates the financial benefit gained from utilizing the energy generated by the renewable technologies.
• Return by energy sales [CHF/EUR/USD per year] : This value represents the return on investment from selling excess energy generated by the installations. It is calculated by summing the exported electricity multiplied by the corresponding export price for each time interval.
• Price of self-produced electricity [CHF/EUR/USD/kWh]: This metric signifies the price at which the self-produced electricity is valued. It is derived by dividing the investment in photovoltaic (PV) systems by the sum of the photovoltaic energy generated during the specified time interval.

CO2 Emission Data:

• CO2 emission avoided [tonnes/yr]: This metric quantifies the amount of CO2 emissions that can be avoided annually through the implementation of renewable technologies.
• CO2 emission avoided over entire lifetime [tonnes]: This metric quantifies the total amount of CO2 emissions that can be avoided over the entire lifespan of the installation.
• CO2 emission avoided in %: This value represents the percentage reduction in CO2 emissions achieved by implementing the renewable technologies.
• CO2 emission avoided in # of trees: This metric provides a relatable measure by indicating the number of newly planted trees equivalent to the CO2 emissions avoided through the utilization of renewable technologies.
• CO2 emissions generated per year: This metric quantifies the annual amount of CO2 emissions produced by the building, taking into account both the primary energy source and any additional emissions resulting from the renewable technologies.
• Equivalent cost in CO2 capture: This metric calculates the estimated cost required to capture the same amount of CO2 emissions avoided over the entire lifespan of the installation. It is derived by multiplying the CO2 emissions avoided over the entire lifespan by EUR 86, representing the assumed cost of CO2 capture.

Energy Data:

• Self-generated Energy in kWh: This metric indicates the amount of energy generated by the renewable technologies within a specified timeframe, typically measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
• Self-generated energy self-consumed in %: This value represents the proportion of self-generated energy that is consumed on-site, expressed as a percentage of the total energy generated.
• Surplus of self-generated energy in %: This metric indicates the excess energy generated by the installations that is not consumed on-site. It is expressed as a percentage of the total energy generated.