Building owners can reduce overall operating costs by optimizing energy performance; many operational energy-efficiency improvements will provide instant or short-term paybacks.
If you initially get a low Energy Star score, start your process by identifying no- and low-cost operational changes to reduce energy consumption. If your building is an energy hog, it’s more likely that these opportunities will exist, and focusing on them to start with will help you go the distance. For instance, simply changing heating and cooling set points by one or two degrees and getting into the practice of turning off lights and office equipment when not in use will have dramatic effects on overall building energy use.
LEED defers to Energy Star practices and standards to generate a Portfolio Manager rating or score. Where questions arise regarding this score, review Energy Star technical guidance documents and contact Energy Star customer service to facilitate the process.
Energy Star requires precise data to describe the different space types in the building, including the square footage, number of occupants and computers, and other characteristics of daily operations. Careful inventory of these variables will result in a more accurate rating.
Be sure that information is copied accurately from utility bills, including start and end dates of the statement period, and that you are using actual meter readings as opposed to estimated readings whenever possible. Replace estimated meter readings with actual meter readings once those statements are received.
Provide building operators with access to BOMA’s BEEP (Building Energy Efficiency Program) training webinars to maintain regular and effective training for personnel responsible for daily building operations.
Review “15 O&M Best Practices for Energy-Efficient Buildings,” a helpful document published by Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. (PECI) to assist facility managers and building owners with basic energy-efficiency issues.
Be sure that information is copied accurately from utility bills, including start and end dates of the statement period, and that you are using actual meter readings as opposed to estimated readings whenever possible. Replace estimated meter readings with actual meter readings once those statements are received.