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Benchmarking allows you to
compare the energy performance of similar facilities or an established
level of performance. It is a useful activity in energy management
because it can be used to develop relative measures of energy
performance, track change over time, and identify best energy management
practices.
EPA has
made this step easier by providing a national energy performance rating
system, currently available for office buildings, K-12 schools, grocery
stores, hotels, and hospitals. The rating system, found in Portfolio
Manager, allows you to compare your performance against similar
facilities.
Benchmarking can be done in variety of ways. Facility or organizational
performance may be benchmarked to:
-
Past performance
- A comparison of current versus historical performance.
-
Industry average
- Based on an established performance metric, such as the recognized
average performance of a peer group.
-
Best in class
- Benchmarking against the best in the industry and not the average.
-
Best Practices
- A qualitative comparison against certain, established practices
considered to be the best in the industry.
The key
steps in benchmarking include:
-
Determine the level of
benchmarking ( for example - equipment, process line, facility or
organizational).
-
Develop metrics.
-
Conduct comparisons.
-
Track performance over
time.
Suggestions
Benchmarking with Portfolio Manager
ENERGY STAR's Portfolio Manager, lets you compare the energy performance
of your facilities to similar buildings nationwide. Portfolio Manager
also normalizes for weather and several other important building and
operational characteristics, allowing comparisons to be made on a level
playing field.
By
inputting energy and building information, this tool provides a
benchmark score on a scale of 1-100. Buildings with a score of 75 or
over are eligible for the ENERGY STAR Label.
Many of
the most effective energy management programs rate the performance of
their entire building portfolio. This type of comparison allows energy
managers to identify inefficient buildings for upgrades.
EPA
recognizes buildings with superior performance. Buildings that earn the
ENERGY STAR use about 40 percent less energy than average buildings,
without compromising comfort or services.
Benchmarks are currently available for office buildings, K-12 schools,
grocery stores, hospitals, and hotels. Additional buildings space
benchmarks are planned for the future. Check the Portfolio Manager
section of the ENERGY STAR web site for recent updates.
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