Investment in Building Energy Efficiency
For investors interested in energy efficiency in either conventional or
green construction, meaningful answers to a few questions will go a
long way towards ensuring a sustainable investment.
To determine how a building's energy use compares to other similar
buildings in the country, the U.S. EPA's ENERGY STAR program developed
an energy performance rating system that rates a building's energy
efficiency on a scale of 1–100. A building that scores in a 75 or above
on this scale (placing its energy performance among the top 25 percent
among similar buildings) can earn an ENERGY STAR label. Receiving a
rating for a building is easy and can be done at the energystar.gov Web
site using Portfolio Manager, a free, online tracking and benchmarking tool.
More than 62,000 have been rated, and more than 4,000 of them have earned the ENERGY STAR label to date.
New Construction Project Energy Efficiency
Has an energy target been established?
New construction project teams often promote building designs that
are energy efficient, but do not always provide an estimate of the
completed and commissioned building's expected energy to owners and
investors. Many green building rating systems and programs targeting
energy efficiency in building design rely on computer modeling
primarily concerned with estimating if a design exceeds the building
code, which is not an indicator of how much energy the building will
use.
Establishing energy targets can help drive energy-efficient design
choices; energy efficiency goals should be set based on comparisons to
actual building energy use. EPA's Target Finder tool provides an easy way to develop an energy use target tailored to a specific design project.
Investors should ask about a new building design's estimated energy use and if it is Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR.
Green Certified Buildings
What method or system was used to certify the building? Did it earn points for energy efficiency?
If a building has been operating for at least one year, it should be benchmarked for energy efficiency using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool and against its energy target.
The building envelope, mechanical systems, lighting, and controls systems
Energy-efficient buildings have efficient components and systems
that are properly designed and sized and are actively managed once
occupied. It is important to make sure that these investments are not
subverted in the name of green design or value engineering.
The Commissioning Strategy
Specifying and installing the latest energy saving technologies may
make little impact unless these technologies are properly commissioned
along with other building systems. New technologies often require more
attention during commissioning. Be sure that the project budget
includes proper funding for commissioning.
“
Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency: Diligence Pays”
(162KB), from
Off the Charts, the EPA ENERGY STAR newsletter covering energy management for the financial markets, Summer 2006.
