ASHRAE pilots its own energy label for buildings

The American Society for Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)  – the mammoth association representing 50,000 building HVAC engineers which arguably sets the standards for the industry around the world – is getting close to offering its own certification system for energy use in buildings. The requirement for buildings to publicly identify — whether by a wall plaque or other means — what their energy consumption is, is already required in some U.S. states such as California, Washington, and Washington D.C., and in the European Union and Australia.

ASHRAE is now piloting its Building Energy Quotient Program (Building EQ), and after fine-tuning based on the results, intends to have it ready for general use by the end of 2010.

The Building EQ program includes two components: As Designed, and In Operation.  As designed is an asset rating based on the results of building energy modeling and simulation. The In Operation rating will be available after the building has been occupied and one year of data on the actual energy use is available. Existing buildings can apply for both an As Designed and In Operation rating.

Taking part in the pilot program are design firms, major developers and real estate corporations, as well as the U.S. General Services Administration, which is responsible for 8,600 federal properties and an estimated 354 million square feet of workspace.