A new program to inform building owners and operators, tenants, and prospective buyers on the energy use of buildings, similar to a nutrition label on food or miles per gallon ratings on cars, was recently launched to encourage the building industry to find ways to cut energy use and costs.

The Building Energy Quotient program, which will be known as Building EQ, will include both As Designed (asset) and In Operation (as operated) ratings for all building types, except residential. It also will provide a detailed certificate with data on actual energy use, energy demand profiles, indoor air quality, and other information that will enable building owners to evaluate and reduce their building’s energy use. The program is administered by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

“Information on a building energy’s use is the critical first step in making the necessary changes and choices to reduce energy use and costs,” says Gordon Holness, ASHRAE president. “The Building EQ program provides an easily understood scale to convey a building’s energy use in comparison to similar buildings, occupancy types, and climate zone, while also providing building owners with building-specific information that can be used to improve building energy performance.”

Through the pilot program, the Building EQ program will allow fine-tuning and final development of the program. In parallel with this effort, ASHRAE has developed a certification program for building energy modellers. Following completion of the pilot program in mid-June, the program is expected to be fully functional by the end of 2010.

Under the program, new buildings will be eligible to receive an As Designed, or asset, rating, which provides an assessment of the building based on the components specified in the design and is based on the results of building energy modelling and simulation. An In Operation rating will be available once the building has at least one year of data on the actual energy use and is based on a combination of the structure of the building and how it is operated. Existing buildings would be eligible to receive both an As Designed and In Operation rating.

“With procedures for both an As Designed and In Operation rating, building owners can make side-by-side comparisons that could further reconcile differences between designed and measured energy use on an ongoing basis,” says Holness.
For more information, visit  www.buildingEQ.com