News Item - US DOE Planning Building Rating System

For those who might not have seen this through their own trade associations here is an announcement of a program being planned by the US DOE. It sounds similar to programs in some European countries. There is a link to a webinar for more information about the proposed program.

The U.S. Department of Energy (the Department) is planning to develop a voluntary national Asset Rating Program for Commercial Buildings (AR Program). Through the AR Program, DOE intends to establish a building Asset Rating system that can be broadly applied to both new and existing commercial buildings, and provide affordable and reliable information to building stakeholders. The AR Program will inform building owners about the energy efficiency of their building systems, enabling comparison of the energy performance between buildings while accounting for differences in building operations and occupant behavior. The intent of the AR Program is also to help building owners identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvements.

DOE seeks the input of stakeholders and interested parties, and has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit input on key issues associated with the development of an AR Program. DOE will be hosting a webinar for interested parties on August 23, 2011, at 12 p.m. (ET) to facilitate discussion on this issue. To attend the webinar, please register here to receive further information.