by Shane Henson — June 24, 2013—The U.S. Department of Energy recently launched a new Buildings Performance Database, which the DOE says is the largest free, publicly available database of residential and commercial building energy performance information.
Currently, commercial and residential buildings account for approximately 70 percent of the electricity consumption in the nation. The database strengthens the DOE’s commitment to provide U.S. industry, state and local governments, and researchers with innovative energy data tools that can help cut energy waste and save money, the agency says.
This database will allow users to access energy performance data and perform statistical analyses on more than 60,000 commercial and residential buildings across the country, and new records are being added regularly, says the DOE. The database includes buildings’ location, age, size and function, electricity and fuel consumption, equipment information, and operational characteristics.
The data can also be used to compare performance trends among similar buildings, identify and prioritize cost-saving energy efficiency improvements, and assess the range of likely savings from these improvements. An application programming interface (API) will allow external software developers to incorporate analytical results from the database into their own tools and services.
The database tools have been designed to meet the content and usability needs of public agencies, building owners and managers, contractors, energy efficiency program administrators, and financial institutions, with more than 1,000 users testing the site since March 2013. Facilities managers and building owners of commercial buildings and others are encouraged to submit data and expand the resource. All data is made anonymous and protected by stringent privacy and security protocols, says the DOE.
