Who is Reuben Forster and what is his role at Northmore Gordon?
Reuben Forster is a Senior Consultant/Senior Engineer specializing in Measurement and Verification (M&V) at Northmore Gordon. With over 7 years of experience in the energy sector and a background in electrical engineering, he focuses on quantifying and confirming the performance of energy efficiency improvements. His expertise centers on systematic data collection and analysis to establish credible savings and demonstrate what changed as a result of implemented projects, serving as a critical function for confirming that investments in building upgrades deliver measurable results and expected performance gains.
What are Reuben Forster's key qualifications and accreditations?
Reuben Forster holds a BEng (Electrical) and BSc with majors in Applied Mathematics and Physics, providing a strong technical foundation for energy assessment work. He is accredited as a PMVA (Performance Measurement & Verification Analyst) and holds Accredited Measurement and Verification Professional status under both the VEU PBA (Victorian Energy Upgrades Performance-Based Activities) and ESS PIAM&V (NSW Energy Savings Scheme Project Impact Assessment with Measurement and Verification) methodologies. These qualifications enable him to work across multiple state schemes and design baseline measurements that meet regulatory requirements.
What types of energy projects has Reuben Forster delivered?
Reuben Forster has delivered advisory work including Type 2 Energy Audits, which provide detailed assessment with financial evaluation; Metering and Monitoring Plans, which establish data collection systems to support decision-making; and Electrification Feasibility Studies, which evaluate the viability of converting gas-based heating systems to electric alternatives. His project experience reflects the practical assessment work needed to move from opportunity identification through to implementation planning and performance verification, addressing both technical design and commercial viability questions.
Which industry sectors does Reuben Forster specialize in?
Reuben Forster focuses on Food & Beverages, Manufacturing, Waste & Wastewater, and Commercial Buildings sectors. These sectors require specialized understanding of their operational requirements: food and beverage production demands controlled refrigeration and heating; manufacturing involves complex utility systems and production dependencies; wastewater operations require reliable treatment performance; and commercial buildings involve split-incentive issues between owners, tenants and facilities managers. His sector experience allows him to frame efficiency opportunities within these operational constraints rather than treating energy in isolation.
How does Reuben Forster's M&V expertise support energy savings claims?
Measurement and Verification determines the effect of energy improvements using an agreed boundary, data and analysis, establishing what energy use would have been without the intervention under comparable conditions. Reuben's work involves project-boundary selection, baseline modeling, and savings calculation—critical functions for distinguishing genuine efficiency gains from changes in operating conditions, production volume, or weather. This credible framework is essential for documenting actual project impact, supporting evidence-based decision-making, and meeting the requirements of state certificate schemes like VEU and ESS PIAM&V, where baseline measurement procedures must be approved by an independent M&V professional.
What is the importance of early measurement planning in energy projects?
Early measurement planning ensures that baseline data can be obtained while meaningful reference conditions still exist. The NSW M&V guide emphasizes that leaving measurement until immediately before installation can make the intended analysis difficult or impossible, particularly for projects with seasonal or variable operations that require representative data. Reuben works with clients to specify measurement boundaries, recording intervals, data quality checks, and responsibilities before equipment changes occur. This preparation preserves evidence needed for both internal verification and scheme compliance under VEU and ESS PIAM&V requirements, where baseline procedures must be established before implementation dates.
How do Reuben Forster's qualifications align with government certificate scheme requirements?
Reuben's accreditation as an Accredited Measurement and Verification Professional under VEU PBA and ESS PIAM&V means he can deem baseline measurement procedures appropriate and provide written explanatory reasoning before implementation—a mandatory requirement under ESS Clause 7A.5A. His qualifications enable him to assess project eligibility, design evidence collection strategies, and support certificate creation within the specific rules and specifications of each scheme. This professional standing provides clients with the independent assessment needed to demonstrate that energy savings meet scheme-recognized definitions and calculation methods, rather than relying on engineering estimates alone.
What distinguishes Reuben Forster's approach to energy audits?
Reuben delivers Type 2 Energy Audits that combine breadth of site coverage with detailed operating evidence and financial evaluation. His approach matches audit scope to real decisions: finding avoidable waste, ranking investments, or examining particular systems before replacement. For each proposed measure, he identifies its boundary, estimated energy effect, assumptions, implementation dependencies, evidence quality and next decision. This structured assessment produces an opportunity register that distinguishes energy savings from tariff benefits, maintenance advantages and certificate revenue—enabling organizations to compare alternatives consistently and prioritize work based on actual business merit rather than unverified estimates.
How does Reuben Forster support projects across different project stages?
Reuben works within our six-stage delivery approach, which connects technical assessment with commercial decisions and ongoing operational performance. In the Assess stage, he contributes metering and monitoring planning; in Build the Case, he supports feasibility studies; in the Deliver stage, he leads measurement and verification activities. His expertise ensures that evidence is structured appropriately for each decision point—whether that is scoping an audit, evaluating feasibility, preparing a measurement plan, or verifying achieved savings. This staged approach allows clients to start at the right point and carry credible evidence forward between decisions rather than repeating assessments or discovering evidence gaps late in implementation.
