by Rebecca Walker — February 25, 2009—The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is getting ready to unveil a new consumer label that would grade all commercial buildings according to their energy efficiency.
The label would measure both the design efficiency and operational performance of buildings, similar to the government’s Energy Star program. The measurements, which would in fact come from Energy Star, would likely appear side by side on the label and receive separate ratings using letter grades like those found on European building labels. An energy certificate with more detailed information about building energy use would accompany the label, although the design of both those items is still being finalized, says ASHRAE.
Other elements also remain under discussion, such as assessing a fee for using the label. It is due to be released at ASHRAE’s Annual Meeting in June.
ASHRAE said it would eventually expand the label to include property types not covered by Energy Star, and if that effort is successful, it indicated it would push for an international expansion.
For more information, see the ASHRAE Web site.
