Building energy labels launched in the US
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is leading the initiative to introduce energy labels for buildings throughout the US.
A prototype label for the Society's own Headquarters building in Atlanta was unveiled at ASHRAE's Annual General Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky last week.
The Building Energy Quotient program, which will be known as Building EQ, will include both asset and operational ratings for all building types, except residential. ASHRAE is working with major real estate developers to implement the labeling system by this Autumn with a widespread launch of the full program in 2010.
The Society's winter meeting in Chicago in January co-incided with the announcement of President Obama's massive fiscal stimulus programme that focused heavily on improving the energy performance of buildings. ASHRAE moved quickly to provide industry advice and expertise to the Obama team and a system designed to improve the gathering of energy data from buildings was considered an essential early step.
ASHRAE has also consulted European experts,including the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) about lessons learned from the introduction of energy certification on this side of the Atlantic.
"Most of us know the fuel efficiency of our cars, but what about our buildings?" said ASHRAE President Bill Harrison. "We are working to change that. As the United States looks to reduce its energy use, information is the critical first step in making the necessary choices and changes.
“With labeling mandatory in Europe and disclosure of a building’s energy performance becoming required by several US states, now is the time to introduce a label that can serve as a model for mandatory programs. ASHRAE’s introduction of its prototype labeling program couldn’t be better-timed.”
Ron Jarnagin, who chairs the committee developing the label, noted that the property market was starting to place a premium on energy-efficient properties and so should welcome certificates.
“When potential building tenants and owners have information on the properties they are interested in, they can understand the full cost of their investment and place a value on the energy efficiency of a building,” he said. “ASHRAE’s label will help building owners differentiate their product in a technically sound manner while providing tenants with the tools they need to select energy-efficient spaces.”
The labels will focus solely on energy use with new buildings receiving an asset rating followed by an operation rating once at least one year of data on the actual energy consumption is available. Existing buildings will be eligible to receive both an asset and operational rating.
The asset rating provides an assessment of the building based on the components specified in the design and would be based on the results of a building energy model. The operational rating provides information on the actual energy use and is based on a combination of the structure of the building and how it is operated.