Standard Guide for Building Energy Performance and Improvement Evaluation in the Assessment of Property Condition

Importancia y uso:

4.1 Uses—This guide is intended for use on a voluntary basis by parties who wish to conduct a BEPIE. The process defined in this guide involves: (1) the collection of building and equipment information, much of which is typically collected as part of an E2018 PCA, and certain additional information such as whole building energy consumption; (2) weather-normalizing the whole building energy consumption to obtain an EUI; (3) benchmarking the building EUI to compare against the EUI-a of peer buildings; and (4) determining if the building’s EUI is under-performing compared to the EUI-a of peer buildings. If the building’s EUI is under-performing, the guide (1) evaluates the extent to which the building is under-performing; (2) provides guidance on what energy efficiency improvements, such as the installation of high efficiency replacement equipment, might be made to bring the building to the performance level of its peers; and (3) provides guidance to obtain a probable cost for these energy efficiency improvements. The guide is intended principally as an approach to conducting a standardized building energy performance assessment in connection with commercial real estate involved in a commercial real estate transaction with the intent to identify a condition of EUI under-performance compared to peer buildings. The guide provides for two approaches: a Screening Assessment (SA) that may be conducted, for example, as an adjunct to an E2018 PCA during due diligence prior to an acquisition, and a More Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) that would include more rigorous investigation as may, for example, be conducted by a building owner seeking to make an investment in EEMs. This guide is intended to reflect a commercially practical and reasonable inquiry.

4.2 Clarifications on Use: 

4.2.1 Use in Conjunction with an E2018 PCA—This guide, when added as a supplemental scope of work to an E2018 PCA, is designed to assist the user and Consultant in developing information about energy consumption and energy efficiency improvements that may be undertaken to reduce energy consumption in a building involved in a commercial real estate transaction. The guide also has utility to a wide range of situations, including those that may not involve a commercial real estate transaction. The guide is not intended to replace an E2018 PCA, but rather to supplement it.

4.2.2 Independent Use—This guide may also be used independently of a building or property condition assessment.

4.2.3 Site-Specific—This guide is site and property-specific in that it relates to an existing building’s or property’s energy performance.

4.3 Who May Conduct—A BEPIE should be performed by a qualified Consultant or individual (hereafter referred to as the “Consultant”) with the education, training and experience necessary to perform the requirements of this guide (refer to 8.6). No practical approach can be designed to eliminate the role of professional judgment and the value and need for experience in the individual performing the inquiry. The professional experience of the Consultant is, consequently, important to the performance of a BEPIE.

4.4 Additional Services—Additional services not included within the scope of this guide may be contracted for between the user and the Consultant (refer to 13.1). For example, the user or Consultant may also wish to apply for LEED® or ENERGY STAR® certification.

4.5 Principles—The following principles are an integral part of this guide and are intended to be referred to in resolving any ambiguity or exercising such discretion as is accorded the user or Consultant in performing a BEPIE.

4.5.1 Uncertainty is not eliminated—No BEPIE standard can wholly eliminate uncertainty in determining the myriad of variables that can impact the energy consumption of a building on a property and the energy savings that might be realized by making energy efficiency improvements. The BEPIE is intended to reduce, but not eliminate, uncertainty regarding the impact of such variables.

4.5.2 Assessment is not exhaustive—This guide is not meant to be an exhaustive assessment. There is a point at which the cost of the information obtained or the time required to gather it outweighs the usefulness of the information and, in fact, may be a material detriment to the orderly completion of a commercial real estate transaction. One of the purposes of this guide is to identify a balance between the competing goals of limiting the costs and time demands inherent in performing a BEPIE and the reduction of uncertainty about unknown conditions resulting from collecting additional information.

4.5.3 Level of inquiry is variable—Not every building will warrant the same level of assessment. The appropriate level of assessment should be guided by the type and complexity of the property being evaluated, the needs of the user, and the information already available or developed in the course of the inquiry.

4.6 Rules of Engagement—The contractual and legal obligations between a Consultant and a user (and other parties, if any) are outside the scope of this guide. No specific legal relationship between the Consultant and user was considered during the preparation of this guide.

Subcomité:

E50.02

Referida por:

E2018-24, E2018-24

Volúmen:

11.05

Número ICS:

91.120.10 (Thermal insulation of buildings)

Palabras clave:

building energy efficiency; building energy performance; commercial real estate; energy; energy benchmarking; energy consumption; energy conservation; energy efficiency; energy efficiency measures; energy savings; energy use intensity; property condition assessment (PCA); real estate transaction; water benchmarking; water usage;