New Energy Efficiency Standardization Roadmap Establishes National Framework for Action

Roadmap Details 125 Recommendations to Advance Energy Efficiency Standardization in the Built Environment

With the release today of the Standardization Roadmap: Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment, U.S. industry, government, standards developing organizations (SDOs) and other energy efficiency stakeholders now have a national framework for action and coordination on future energy efficiency standardization. Developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Energy Efficiency Standardization Coordination Collaborative (EESCC) - a cross-sector group chaired by representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Schneider Electric - the roadmap charts 125 recommendations to advance energy efficiency within the built environment.

According to the DOE, our nation's buildings account for more than 70 percent of total U.S. electricity use and 40 percent of the nation's total energy bill, at a cost of $400 billion dollars per year. With 20 percent or more of this energy wasted, comparable reductions in energy have the potential to save an estimated $80 billion annually. Standards, codes, and conformity assessment programs offer significant opportunities for energy and cost savings and improved energy efficiency capabilities for the nation's buildings. The roadmap identifies many such opportunities, detailing recommendations and timelines for action across five interrelated areas of focus:

• Chapter One: Building Energy and Water Assessment and Performance Standards outlines 46 recommendations to address identified standardization gaps in these areas
  
  
• Chapter Two: System Integration and Systems Communications details 9 gaps and recommendations examining how building subsystems could be integrated in order to manage the energy use of a building or campus of buildings for maximum efficiency
  
  
• Chapter Three: Building Energy Rating, Labeling, and Simulation outlines 22 recommendations to address identified standardization gaps
  
  
• Chapter Four: Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification (EM&V) details 32 gaps and recommendations to advance the field of EM&V
  
  
• Chapter Five: Workforce Credentialing puts forth 16 overarching recommendations to advance workforce credentialing for the energy efficiency field

Increased awareness and coordination among the public and private sectors on standards, codes, and conformity assessment can help quicken the pace of energy efficiency technology development and deployment. To this end, the roadmap establishes a framework to which U.S. industry, government, standards developing organizations, and others can look to enable greater energy efficiency capabilities for the nation's buildings.

The roadmap's recommendations for closing standardization gaps in the near-term (0-2 years), mid-term (2-5 years), and long-term (5+ years) are intended to map out a coordinated approach to energy efficiency standardization, and to assist SDOs in identifying priority areas for work, as well as opportunities for collaboration, consolidation, and harmonization. The roadmap is supplemented by the EESCC Inventory Database - a comprehensive, online source of information on relevant standards, codes, guidelines, and conformity assessment programs related to energy efficiency in the built environment.

More than 50 member organizations and 4 federal agencies, involving over 160 experts from industry, standards and code developing organizations, energy efficiency-focused organizations, educational institutions, and other groups, took part in the roadmap's development.

"Energy efficiency is a complex, cross-cutting issue that applies to all industry sectors, impacts multiple government agencies, and hits every stage in the life cycle of a building," said S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. "The release of the energy efficiency standardization roadmap marks an important step forward in advancing a coordinated national approach to energy efficiency standardization, and the recommendations outlined in the roadmap are both actionable and achievable.

"Working together to pursue the EESCC's recommendations, we stand to make great gains for the energy efficiency market and the nation," continued Mr. Bhatia. "I encourage stakeholder organizations from both the public and private sectors to review the roadmap's recommendations, identify where they may be able to help close the standardization gaps, and work with the EESCC to do so."

Following publication, the EESCC will actively monitor implementation of the roadmap's recommendations, track updates on work to close identified gaps, and create a mechanism by which this information can be broadly shared. It is envisioned that a future report will highlight progress to close gaps and provide an update on new developments. The EESCC will work with relevant groups, as appropriate, to ensure gaps are addressed, and facilitate coordination and collaboration among domestic, regional, and international standardization activities.