Has anyone had experience with giving energy grades to buildings?
I am on a university campus in the U.S., and we are trying to reduce our energy consumption through occupant behaviors. A previous program launched conducted audits and gave different buildings on campus grades (A+ through F). The program did not go over well for those buildings with poor grades. Ironically, adults and professors don't like to be graded on a university campus.
We would like to launch a program that informs and motivates those building occupants to action; we'd like to fix and readjust our grading system and relaunch.
Any helpful information and experience on energy grades would be greatly appreciated.
Cassidy Reimer
Energy Conservation Behavior Specialist
University of Kansas
United States
Energy Grades for Buildings
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In Minneapolis, there is a mandate to benchmark large commercial buildings using Energy Star Portfolio manager, and with that buildings receive a 1-100 (100=efficient) performance score.
Part of our strategy was to phase in the public display of this information. In year one of reporting, only the data owners (building managers/owners) see the building's performance. This gives them some time to improve their building if they can/want as well as mentally prepare themselves for the information to become public. It also helps that the data owners supply the data, which we think helps give them ownership of the information. Because they put the data in, they don't have to question the validity of it.
Perhaps one of your barriers is that the building tenants feel the scores are arbitrary or they just don't feel the scores are valid. Then maybe on top of that they aren't ready for the information to be public.
Lastly, I'm sure it's already part of your program, but in case it is not, I would be sure to pair the grades with proactive help/resources to improve those grades. Perhaps for those worst performing buildings, you hold internal energy reduction competitions between departments or a targeted campaign having occupants pledge to do specific energy reduction behaviors. Something like this may help occupants feel like they can do something to change their poor grade in a fun way. It would also then be very important to provide performance feedback in some way in order to keep them engaged.
Best of luck.
Katie Jones Schmitt
Benchmarking Outreach Coordinator
Center for Energy and Environment
United States
Cassidy, I would second Katie Jones Schmitt's comment about using the Federal program, Portfolio Manager. It takes away the finger-pointing, and puts all of the grading in the hands of a neutral third party.
I've ben using this for the City of Berkeley, CA buildings since the program first began in 2004? 2005? and we've used it to steadily improve our facilities. Whatever you do, don't try and compare buildings of different ages and construction types. There's lots of reasons some buildings do better than others, or worse than others.
The City of Berkeley will soon be requiring this for all commercial buildings sold or transferred as a condition of sale, so we expect a big jump in the number of buildings registered.
Also note that Portfolio Manager is set up for energy, but it also has a water component. We haven't been successful in getting that to work, but once you have a baseline score, use that as the motivator for reach building's manager to start finding ways to improve the buildings. Maybe re-programming the EMS will help, or commissioning the building if it hasn't been commissioned since it was built, etc. Good luck, and let me know if you have any questions about how to approach staff.
Alice La Pierre
City of Berkeley
United States