by Shane Henson — November 14, 2011—A common platform to measure and assess commercial buildings will soon be available through a joint initiative between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). The agencies are seeking to harmonize the approach of the two countries by enhancing the EPA’s existing Energy Star Portfolio Manager software tool to track and rate the energy performance of Canadian commercial buildings, in addition to buildings in the United States.
With a database of more than 250,000 buildings, representing nearly 27 billion square feet of commercial and institutional building space in the United States, the popular Portfolio Manager tool provides both governments with solid, measurable information on energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions reductions from commercial buildings.
According to EPA and NRCan officials, through the agreement, set to run through March 30, 2016, important enhancements will be made to Portfolio Manager, including the development of a Canadian-based energy performance scale and the addition of Canadian reference data (weather, energy and emissions factors and metric units). The tool will also be available in both official languages.
U.S. and Canadian facilities managers who implement energy-efficiency practices may find that in addition to reducing their energy bill, they ultimately help building owners earn more through their property. Recent surveys show that there is a higher demand for energy-efficient buildings, with the most efficient commanding rental rates that are, on average, 3% higher per square foot and selling at prices that are typically 16% higher than other similar buildings.
