March 19, 2012: ASHRAE Building Labeling Program to Help Building Owners Save Energy
ATLANTA — To help building owners reduce their energy costs, a new building labeling program is available from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) that not only rates buildings according to the in-operation energy use but also provides owners with suggested measures that can improve energy efficiency. The Building Energy Quotient (bEQ) program assigns to buildings an energy usage quotient based on completion of an in-operation assessment that includes an ASHRAE Level I Energy Audit.
“bEQ lets a commercial building owner zero in on opportunities to lower building operating cost and make informed decisions to increase value,” said Tom Phoenix, P.E., a consulting engineer in Greensboro, N.C., who chairs the bEQ committee. “The ultimate goal of the program is to encourage more energy efficient buildings and give owners more control over rising energy costs.”