Measure for improved performance through energy benchmarking

Adrian Mauro, president of Chamberlain Architectural Construction Management, says as the economy is turning around for the hospitality industry, “it’s time to dust off the drawing plans and move forward.”  While Mauro is encouraging the construction of new buildings, Natural Resources Canada’s ecoENERGY Efficiency for Buildings program has tools that can help businesses and institutions save energy and reduce operating costs in both new and existing buildings.

Businesses in North America are already reducing their energy costs – some by as much as 30 per cent – using energy benchmarking to drive their energy management plans. Those in the hospitality industry who make an investment in energy benchmarking will have a competitive advantage over those who do not, as they will be able to reinvest energy savings into their businesses.

By measuring how a building compares to similar buildings in the hospitality industry in a particular region and across Canada, an organization is able to identify areas of poor energy performance so they can target their investments and lower their costs.

Portfolio Manager coming in 2013

Benchmarking will help businesses make the case for taking action. Simply put, what gets measured can be made better. A new tool is coming to Canada in 2013 that will make this task easier. Adapted to include Canadian metrics, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) online energy management and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager, will give you the power to monitor, rate, and optimize a building’s energy use.

Tools support accreditation

Supported by many key stakeholders in the Canadian buildings sector, ecoENERGY Efficiency for Buildings benchmarking tools can support accreditation by top building rating systems, including the Canada Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)program and the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada’s Building Environmental Standards program.

U.S. and Canadian information

Don’t delay – start using Portfolio Manager now with the U.S. EPA’s Benchmarking Starter Kit. Go to energystar.gov to learn more.
For more information visit oee.nrcan.gc.ca or e-mail info.services@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.