Learn about the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, the industry-leading benchmarking tool for measuring and comparing energy performance in buildings. Prepare for the LEED Green Associate Exam with this comprehensive explanation.
Table of Contents
Question
Which industry benchmarking tool is used for measuring ongoing energy performance?
A. Bright Power’s EnergyScoreCard
B. U.S. Department of Energy’s EnerCop
C. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
D. U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergyIQ
Answer
C. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
Explanation
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is an online tool developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that allows building owners and managers to measure and track the energy and water performance of their buildings, as well as benchmark their buildings against similar buildings nationwide. The tool uses a 1-100 ENERGY STAR score to rate the energy efficiency of a building relative to its peers, where a score of 50 represents median performance and a score of 75 or higher indicates top performance.
The ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is the most widely used industry benchmarking tool for measuring and tracking the ongoing energy performance of buildings. It allows building owners and managers to:
- Input energy consumption data and building characteristics
- Compare the building’s energy performance to similar buildings nationwide
- Receive an ENERGY STAR score (1-100) based on the building’s relative energy efficiency
- Track changes in energy performance over time
- Set energy efficiency goals and measure progress towards those targets
Portfolio Manager is a free, online tool that has been used to benchmark the energy performance of over 40% of U.S. commercial building space. It supports a wide range of building types, including offices, schools, hospitals, hotels, and more.
By regularly inputting utility data into Portfolio Manager, building owners and managers can identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvements, verify the impact of efficiency measures, and work towards earning the ENERGY STAR certification for top-performing buildings.
The other options, while related to energy performance, are not as widely used or comprehensive as the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager:
- Bright Power’s EnergyScoreCard is a proprietary tool offered by a private company
- EnerCop and EnergyIQ are tools provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, but they are not as widely adopted as Portfolio Manager
Therefore, the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is the industry standard for measuring ongoing energy performance in buildings.
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