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Energy Department releases resources to assess building energy benchmarking policies, programs

Multifamily Housing

Energy Department releases resources to assess building energy benchmarking policies, programs

The new handbook demonstrates methodologies using real data from New York City.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | May 30, 2015
Energy Department releases resources to assess building energy benchmarking policies, programs

Photo: Hakilon via Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. Department of Energy has released two resources to help analyze the energy, non-energy, and market transformation impacts of building energy benchmarking policies and programs.

One handbook provides methodologies for jurisdictions to use to analyze the impact of their benchmarking policies and programs. The second demonstrates the methodologies using real data from New York City’s benchmarking ordinance, Local Law 84 (LL84).

Building energy benchmarking is the process of measuring how efficiently a building uses energy relative to the other similar buildings over time. The DOE Benchmarking & Transparency Policy and Program Impact Evaluation Handbook provides cost-effective, standardized analytic methods for determining gross and net energy reduction, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation, job creation and economic growth impacts.

The second report found that between 2010 and 2013—the first four years of LL84—buildings covered by the ordinance reduced energy use by 5.7% and lowered greenhouse gas emissions by 8.3%. The benchmarking efforts directly created 39 jobs as well another roughly 7,000 jobs through energy-efficiency activities.

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Student Housing

Cal State Long Beach student housing project will add 424 beds

A new $115 million project recently broke ground at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) that will add housing for 424 students at below-market rates. The 108,000 sf La Playa Residence Hall, funded by the State of California’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, will consist of three five-story structures connected by bridges.


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