Benchmarking calculates energy performance. Monthly benchmarking a building’s energy and water use produces a monthly building energy performance rating. This rating makes it possible to compare energy performance of a building to similar buildings throughout the United States. With regards to apartment houses, monthly benchmarking compares energy and water efficiency and operating expense of a building to similar local buildings.
What are the benefits of benchmarking? The energy performance rating is an industry standard. Ratings tell that money, energy and water can be saved. The higher the performance rating, the more savings. A low rating indicates that upgrades projects can be done to increase the rating.
Benchmarking is easy and quick to set up. Monthly benchmarking quickly detects new building problems that occur. Baseline benchmarking is the starting point and can be used to measure operational performance of upgrade projects, and benchmarking increases property values.
Customer case studies show how benchmarking monthly energy and water utility bills helps to keep track of utility costs and to identify building deficiencies. In a study of a medium-sized house of worship, deficiencies discovered in 2011 were eliminated in 2012, resulting in savings.
Over $6000 in energy and water costs were saved because of projects implemented in 2012: greater than $4000 energy savings as a result of energy-saving projects such as replacing incandescent and inefficient fluorescent lights; replacing old HVAC unit, and weatherizing exterior doors; and greater than $2000 water savings as a result of repairing a faulty outdoor sprinkler.
