Skip to main content

Fireworks Independence Day Help Desk Staffing


The Building Energy Codes Program will have reduced staffing July 4 – July 8, 2024 for the Independence Day holiday weekend.  Response times may be delayed.  Please expect to receive responses after July 8, 2024.

BPS Library

Showing results 26 - 50 of 61

Building Performance Standards: A Lifecycle Approach to Building Decarbonization

Published: 2022 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Overview, Policy Design | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

Provides strategies for aligning new construction codes with BPS to facilitate a “lifecycle” approach to building performance and drive equitable decarbonization. Conclusions  include recommendations for core program components under an equitable BPS implementation model and how to connect a BPS to new construction codes, enabling both new and existing buildings of all covered types to consistently and predictably meet performance targets.

Building Performance Standards: Overview for State and Local Decision Makers

Published: 2021 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Overview, Policy Design | Author Category: EPA

Provides an overview of building performance standards and offers information on key decision points to consider when designing a BPS.

Building Performance Standards Overview

Published: 2021 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Document | Focus: Overview, Policy Design | Author Category: ASHRAE

Overview of the BPS development process, including considerations such as performance target-setting, implementation and enforcement timelines, equitable policy application, and compliance support.

State and Local Government Coordination: Benchmarking and Building Performance Standards

Published: 2021 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Benchmarking, Policy Design | Author Category: EPA

Describes the varied roles that state and local decisions makers have in establishing existing building policies and opportunities to coordinate across jurisdictions.

Building Performance Standards Needs Assessment

Published: 2021 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Fact sheet/Brief | Focus: Overview

This two-page needs assessment provides the industry needs to establish and implement the BPS from the market perspective.

ASHRAE Building Performance Standards: A Technical Resource Guide

Published: 2023 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Overview, Policy Design | Author Category: ASHRAE

This guide is intended to provide technical basis and resources to policymakers, building owners, facility managers, design professionals and ASHRAE members when developing and implementing a Building Performance Standard (BPS). The guide focuses on larger building types and scope of BPS as developed by leading U.S. cities and states. The guide covers BPS aimed toward reducing building operating energy use and resulting emissions.

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Website | Focus: Implementation Software & Tools | Author Category: EPA

This tool facilitates building performance reporting and benchmarking and the Energy Star score can also be used as the BPS metrics to set targets.

Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER)

Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Website | Focus: Implementation Software & Tools | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

The BETTER tool identifies cost-saving energy and emissions reductions in buildings and portfolios without site visits or complex modeling.

Standard Energy Efficiency Data (SEED) Platform

Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Website | Focus: Implementation Software & Tools | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

This tool is a central database for city BPS data that merges information from Portfolio Manager, Audit Template, and other city datasets in one place.

Building Energy Audit Template

Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Website | Focus: Implementation Software & Tools | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

This is an online portal which cities can use to collect standardized information about a building’s physical systems and recommended upgrades. Auditors use the mobile-friendly interface to submit data.

ComStock and ResStock

Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Website | Focus: Implementation Software & Tools | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

ComStock and ResStock are building stock-level diagnostic tools. States, municipalities, utilities and manufacturers can use them to identify high-impact improvements and make better program decisions.

Building Energy Asset Score

Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Website | Focus: Implementation Software & Tools | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

The Asset Score tool assesses the energy efficiency of a building's physical systems and produces an Energy Asset Score Report.

Building Data Tools

Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Resource Page | Focus: Implementation Software & Tools | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

Website describing how DOE tools can be used to support BPS policies, among other things.

Leading by Example: Building Performance Standards for Decarbonizing Federal Buildings

Published: 2021 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Implementation Guidance, Overview | Author Category: NGO

This report considers the options for implementing a building performance standard across a broader scope of buildings and geography than a single city or state: federally owned or leased buildings, which comprise 1 billion square feet across the country.

Putting Policy in Action: Building Performance Standard

Published: 2022 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Implementation Guidance, Overview | Author Category: NGO

This document will be of most immediate use to policymakers that are preparing to implement or are already implementing a BPS policy. In addition to specific recommendations, the guide presents a broad overview of the many aspects of implementing a BPS and thus is a valuable resource for policy planning as well as developing appropriations requests.

Providing Local Market Support for a Building Performance Standard

Published: 2020 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Implementation Guidance | Author Category: NGO

For cities exploring building performance standards, a high-performance building hub provides critical guidance, technical assistance, or access to available incentives to building owners, designers, contractors, and operators. This brief for policymakers explores why a city should consider offering a high-performance hub and outlines key steps in figuring out how to set one up.

BPS Financing

Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Resource Page | Focus: Financing | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

Overview of funding streams to help with a variety of tasks related to BPS, from technical assistance to building upgrades themselves.

Better Buildings Financial Navigator

Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Resource Page | Focus: Financing | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

A useful resource hub for that provides a list of ways to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in buildings, primarily for building owners. 

Energy Usage Data Access: A Getting-Started Guide for Regulators

Published: 2017 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Data Collection & Analysis | Author Category: NGO

This ACEEE webpage discusses approaches for facilitating statewide energy data access and the roles and opportunities for different stakeholders, including residents, multifamily building owners, businesses, utilities, and regulators. 

Data Access: A Fundamental Element for Benchmarking and Building Energy Performance Policies

Published: 2021 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Data Collection & Analysis | Author Category: EPA

Describes the critical role that utilities play in providing whole-building energy consumption data to enable compliance with benchmarking and transparency and BPS polices.

Making Data-Driven Policy Decisions for the Nation’s First Building Energy Performance Standards

Published: 2020 | Geographic Scope: Regional | Document Type: Case Study | Focus: Data Collection & Analysis | Author Category: DOE and National Labs

This paper explores this revolutionary policy framework and uses two data analysis projects that DC conducted to evaluate the potential impact of the BEPS and move towards carbon neutrality. First, they analyze the potential energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions, as well as potential cost impacts. Then they examine the role of BEPS in a carbon neutrality strategy, how BEPS savings iterate over time, and what additional existing building improvements will be driven.

BEPS Cost-Benefit Study

Published: 2022 | Geographic Scope: Regional | Document Type: Case Study | Focus: Data Collection & Analysis | Author Category: U.S. Jurisdiction

Contains a summary review of existing industry cost/benefit research, the technical assessment of 13 buildings representative of the largest property types in the District, a short analysis of other property types, and a summary of findings. The case study sections depict the primary outputs of a technical assessment of the potential costs and benefits for buildings to meet the statutory requirements, including building energy model reference cases and a summary of findings from building case studies.

Building Performance Standards A New Framework for Equitable Policies to Address Existing Buildings

Published: 2021 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: Implementation Guidance, Overview | Author Category: NGO

Provides a framework for local governments, community and industry stakeholders interested in BPS that provides guidance on how to plan and coordinate the different policy components to achieve equitable outcomes.

Understanding and Choosing Metrics for Building Performance Standards

Published: 2022 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: BPS Metric Selection | Author Category: EPA

This white paper provides information on the implications of different metrics including framework for guiding choice of metrics for BPS, a detailed description of metrics, and supporting analysis and discussion.

EPA Recommended Metrics and Normalization Methods for Use in State and Local Building Performance Standards

Published: 2022 | Geographic Scope: National | Document Type: Report | Focus: BPS Metric Selection | Author Category: EPA

This 13-page document outlines EPA's recommendations for metrics and normalization methods for use in state and local building performance standards (BPS). Contents include: 1. Recommended metrics for use in a BPS; 2. Recommended method for normalizing site EUI in a BPS; 3. EPA's next steps; 4. An alternative normalization approach for buildings eligible to receive a 1-100 ENERGY STAR Score.