The CIR is requesting clarification of 1) use of project-specific Source to Site Ratio to perform benchmarking, and 2) weather normalization procedures. 1. Use of regional source to site ratios to improve energy benchmarking results is not acceptable. Though the Energy Star program and the USGBC\'s EAc1 Options B&C Calculator use source data to perform benchmarking, the primary intent of this prerequisite is to promote and reward energy efficiency at the building level. Within Energy Star, US national average source to site ratios are used for all buildings, which prevents individual buildings from benefiting from accidental proximity to clean energy sources and instead appropriately links benchmarking results to building-level performance. Additionally, validating the appropriateness of project-specific source to site ratios is not viable. Given the present lack of reliable references for international source to site factors, and the desire to perform benchmarking that compares buildings to each other (and not grids to each other), customized source to site ratios are not acceptable. 2. Energy consumption data should be weather normalized via Energy Star Portfolio Manager prior to being input into the EAc1 Options B&C Calculator. Please see the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Reference Guide for information regarding the protocol for using Energy Star to weather normalize data. Buildings outside of the United States can used Portfolio Manager for weather normalization by selecting the location closest to the project building, in terms of climatic conditions. Many international cities are listed in Energy Star\'s database, including Quebec, CA; Energy Star will normalize consumption based on actual climate conditions at that location. Applicable Internationally; Canada.