Study Shows Benchmarking Helps Save Energy

This article is reprinted with permission from the City of Jackson Municipal Utilites' Questline newsletter.

 

Key Points

• A recent study of buildings that benchmark their energy performance showed an average savings of 7 percent over three years. 
• The study examined more than 35,000 buildings that use the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool.
• Retail, office, warehouse and K-12 school building categories all realized above average energy savings.

Source: www.sxc.hu

Facilities that consistently benchmark their energy performance can realize significant energy savings, according to a study released in October 2012 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The study evaluated more than 35,000 buildings that used the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool to track their energy consumption from 2008 through 2011.
Energy benchmarking is the process of collecting and analyzing energy use data which provides you with a context for comparing your energy performance against those of similar facilities. Armed with this information, you can spot inefficiencies, identify energy-saving opportunities and monitor performance improvements.

The buildings in the study showed an average of 7 percent energy savings over three years, with the lowest performing buildings at the beginning of the study making the greatest improvements. The study calculated that if all U.S. commercial buildings followed a similar trend, $4.2 billion in energy savings could be realized in just the first year.

More than 70 percent of the buildings examined realized energy savings. While most of those experienced energy savings of up to 10 percent over the three-year period, a small number realized significantly higher improvements.

Retail, office, warehouse and K-12 school building categories all achieved above average energy savings. Hospitals were the lowest performing category, with an average savings of 2 percent.
“Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s buildings is critical to protecting our environment,” said Jean Lupinacci, Chief of the Energy Star Commercial & Industrial Branch. “No matter the building type, organizations across the country are using EPA's Energy Star Portfolio Manager to demonstrate that you can't manage what you don't measure." (Dalton 2012)
See Benchmarking and Energy Savings for a full analysis of the study.

References

 

Dalton, Alyssa. "EPA analysis shows 7% energy savings for benchmarked buildings." Energy Manager. October 22, 2012.