SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS

Asset Classes

Focus Area

Energy and Carbon

Topic

Benchmarking

Question #

E3.1a – Benchmarking Energy Use

Question

What is the calculated ENERGY STAR score for the building?

Applicability

Office, Healthcare, Universal, Multi-Unit Residential Building
Owner/landlord occupied building
Tenant occupied building – Owner has access to utility data

Answer & Scoring

  • Yes = Points dependent on range

Indicate which range is representative of your building’s most recent ENERGY STAR score:

    • 90 and higher = 5 points
    • 83 to <90 = 4 points
    • 75 to <83 = 3 points
    • 65 to <75 = 2 points
    • Lower than 65 = 1 point
  • No = 0 points
  • Not Applicable – Tenant occupied building: Owner/Landlord does not have access to utility data OR Universal asset class is not applicable for ENERGY STAR score = 0/0

Max of 5 points

Requirements

To determine the most recent ENERGY STAR score:

  1. Enter whole-building energy use data under the Benchmarking section of the BOMA BEST hub (bomabesthub.com) or in the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager portal
  2. If whole-building energy use is calculated by adding data from different bills or sub-meters, provide a brief narrative describing the methodology applied. Show how the 12-month total use was calculated
  3. If any spaces were excluded, describe the methodology applied
  4. For any sub-meters referenced, provide details, such as make, model, location, photo and year of installation
  5. Indicate whether any energy is generated on-site and whether that use has been sub-metered

Documentation

  • Data Verification Checklist printed from ENERGY STAR, or screenshot from BOMA BEST Benchmarking section showing the normalized Energy Use Intensity
  • Narrative of benchmarking methodology and sub-meter data, if available

OR

  • Documentation demonstrating that the owner does not have access to utility data (e.g. lease agreement)

OR

  • Narrative indicating that asset class is not applicable ENERGY STAR

Suggested Lead

In-house or third-party

Value

  • Benchmarking energy use is the practice of comparing a building’s current energy use to a baseline year
  • Benchmarking keeps building management teams accountable for a building’s annual energy usage and tracks a building’s progress toward energy saving goals
  • Establish a baseline for energy usage at a building, by uploading a minimum of 12 months of whole-building utility data to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
  • Using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, produce an energy use intensity (EUI) value and ENERGY STAR Score
  • An ENERGY STAR Score is a value out of 100 that represents a building’s energy performance. The score is normalized by climate, operational hours, occupancy, and building size
  • Use the ENERGY STAR Score to compare buildings to identify underperforming buildings in a portfolio and compare a building’s performance to other properties of a similar use

RELATED Questions:

Description

It is important to establish energy baselines to enable measurement and tracking of progress toward net-zero goals.

Portfolio owners may want to benchmark their properties against other buildings within their portfolio to evaluate comparative progress and prioritize asset renewals.

References

Adapted BB 3.0 Question

Question 01.02.01 — Do you benchmark energy performance using either BOMA BEST or ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager portal?