Based on the results of several dozen projects completed over the last decade, the authors have developed and refined methods for measuring non-energy impacts - both positive and negative - from commercial and industrial energy efficiency programs. This research covers measures of non-energy benefits (NEBs) in three main categories: utility/agency benefits, societal benefits, and participant benefits.

Participant benefits are particularly hard to measure (HTM). The authors pioneered, developed, and tested several methods of measuring these benefits; specifically, these methods included approaches such as contingent valuation; ordered logit; value to owner; comparative or relative valuations; willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA); and scaled valuations, modifications to the Labeled Magnitude Scale.

This paper works to establish and detail a set of best practices for measuring NEBs, participant benefits in particular. The paper then applies those measurements to decision-making and policy formation. First, it reviews the NEBs concept, then examines various techniques to measure them, provides an empirical comparison of results from four key techniques (WTP/WTA, contingent valuation, relative and scaled valuations), and finally discusses the application of NEBs valuations to program evaluation.