Using CBECS 2012 Data for Estimating Energy Consumption

Projects are supposed to use EPA's Target Finder and enter this Energy Star data. Projects outside the US are not required to do this so simply check the toggle on the form that the project is not eligible for a Target Finder score.

I would also note that entering a Target Finder score under Option 2 in general just makes no sense at all.

In your case I would not use the CBECS data for estimating consumption. It will not provide you with any useful information. If you are talking about the renewable production you should be using the values in the Reference Guide. LEED v4 was published before the 2012 CBECS data was available so it uses the 2003 data and as far as I know has not been updated. In general it is always a good idea to use the higher value in a case like this because it would be the most conservative.

CBECS is based entirely on US projects. It just does not translate well to other parts of the world. I would look for a database similar to CBECS which is generated by the EU or the country where your project is located. You could also try to get the data from similar projects in your area. You can do a model. You could ask your utility if they could help. For you CBECS would be considered just one, relatively unreliable data point. You need some more data.

Hi Marcus,
We are currently trying to get the certification for one of our projects here in Dubai, UAE which consists of a small office in a 5-storey building under LEED CI v4. LEED process we're undertaking in does not involve the Landlord and thus will not be able to get specific information on building energy. Further, the office is paying a flat rate on an annual contract basis rent (as what a typical office does in Dubai) which already includes the utilities. How can we able to meet the requirements of establishing an energy performance target no later than the schematic design phase? We have tried to get EUI using the energy simulation outputs however the result is "N/A". We appreciate your thoughts on how to proceed. Thanks

You establish an energy performance goal based on benchmarking data from other similar projects. Here in the US we can do that with tools like Target Finder, other local and national databases of building energy performance, and data from clients with multiple similar projects. If your goal is to produce an energy efficient project it is not sufficient to say I want an energy efficient project; that does not mean anything because it means different things to different parties. It needs to be quantified to have meaning. So let's suppose that the typical office building uses X energy/area in a year (the EUI). Your goal may be to cut that in half or by 25% or what ever value that aligns with your particular project goals. In this way you define your desires to make the project energy efficient. You then evaluate your design with tools like energy modeling as your are designing it to see if you are achieving your goal.

Marcus, on September 6th you said, "I would also note that entering a Target Finder score under Option 2 in general just makes no sense at all." Will you please elaborate on this point? Why doesn't the Target Finder score under Option 2 make sense? The form seems to indicate that this is a mandatory selection for EAp2 Option 2 save for a circumstance in which the tool does not support the primary building type.

Target Finder creates a benchmarking goal for the project. It is very useful when creating an energy model because you get a reality check on your modeling results and you can perform modeling iterations using the goal as your design target.

When following the prescriptive path you are evaluating the performance of the pieces, not the whole. Ultimately a Target Finder score will be useful in evaluating the project's relative performance once it is occupied. However, during design the Target Finder score is of almost no value because you don't have any data to benchmark.

Marcus, your reply makes sense.

My new question is that when pursuing the prescriptive path (Option 2) for a CI project, it appears we must select either "Upload: Target Finder performance results" or "The project is unable to use Target Finder because the tool does not support the primary building type of the project building."

Neither option seems to be very useful because setting up Target Finder is essentially setting up the foundation of a baseline for an energy model which defeats the purpose of Option 2 and saying that the project is unable to use Target Finder is not exactly correct because we could use Target Finder but the purpose of Option 2 is to be prescriptive.  There is no comment section to provide a "N/A" explanation on the LEEDOnline form.

I would be interested to hear if you have any recommendations? What would you do in this scenario?

Provide the Target Finder score. It literally takes 5 minutes and checks the box. I didn't say you could get out of it, just that it makes no sense to require it.

Thank you for the feedback!