A new program to inform building owners and operators, tenants and prospective buyers on the energy use of buildings, similar to a nutrition label on food or miles per gallon ratings on cars, has recently been launched to encourage the building industry to find ways to cut energy use and costs.

The Building Energy Quotient program, which will be known as Building EQ, will include both As Designed (asset) and In Operation (as operated) ratings for all building types except residential. It also will provide a detailed certificate with data on actual energy use, energy demand profiles, indoor air quality and other information that will enable building owners to evaluate and reduce their buildings energy use. The program is administered by ASHRAE.

Information on a building’s energy use is the critical first step in making the necessary changes and choices to reduce energy use and costs, Gordon Holness, ASHRAE president, said. The Building EQ program provides an easily understood scale to convey a buildings energy use in comparison to similar buildings, occupancy types and climate zone, while also providing building owners with
building-specific information that can be used to improve building energy performance. Holness noted that building energy use disclosure is already mandatory in California; Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; Washington State; the European Union; and Australia.

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