Recent Posts
Intra-continental rating leaders: Denmark and NYC
At the 2012 ACEEE Market Transformation Symposium, a session on building energy rating and disclosure highlighted some of the issues facing two policy pioneers. Denmark and New York City are leaders in the rating policy arena (although Denmark is the clear and longstanding forerunner) within their respective continents.
Canada - The Goal Posts are Moving: Part 3 of 3
With the arrival of 2012, all Canadians have been invited to participate in a review of changes to the National Building Code (NBC) that would make energy efficiency an objective for new homes and small buildings. In my earlier blogs, I wrote about what makes Canada different, and how the U.S. and Canada chose different paths in high performance building labelling.
PHIUS+: Harmonizing Passive House and HERS
Back in the 1970s, energy costs were at the top of Americans’ minds. And building science thrived at places like the Small Homes Council at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where the concept and term “superinsulation” was born. And in Canada, where the demonstration project called Saskatchewan House proved that airtight building envelopes, superinsulation, energy recovery ventilation and management of solar gain could be employed to build a practical, comfortable home—that didn’t need a furnace. Even in Regina, Saskatchewan.
2011: Year in Review
It has been a busy 2011 for building energy rating policy and research. Let’s do a quick tour of this year’s developments around the world.
Across more 31 European countries, rating schemes and methodologies are rolling out in response to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) of 2007. The policy—requiring Energy Performance Certificates and their disclosure for private and government buildings—was cleaned up with a more specific recast of the EPBD legislation in 2010, but the report card up to this year has been mixed.
Research on the Value of Efficiency and Sustainability Ratings
Can property value be increased by an energy efficiency rating or sustainability standard? This is a central question for the real estate universe. From builders to bankers, the value of a more sustainable property is a highly controversial, but critical, point of debate.
Gaining Steam but Falling Short
In addition to the array of governmental mandates we highlight in our policy resources, there is a growing number of voluntary rating programs that are having an impact in the US. While research has shown that voluntary programs are insufficient at changing the market dynamics of a locality, they can serve to spread the word about efficient buildings and are a good piece in a more comprehensive policy program.
An Introduction to Building Energy Certificates in the UK
Here in the UK, as of 2010, around 45% of total CO2 emissions were from buildings; 27% from domestic buildings and 18% from non-domestic (commercial) buildings. Energy prices are a major concern to consumers and increasing amounts of people are falling into ‘fuel poverty’, spending more than 10% of their income on energy in their homes. Understanding the energy performance of buildings is critical, to allow informed comparison of buildings and to recommend and implement improvements.
Canada and the U.S. - Different Paths: Part 2 of 3
If you’re like me, you only celebrate really important birthdays – the landmarks of life’s passage.
IMT Releases Landmark Policy Report
I'm very pleased to announce that IMT has released a landmark report on building energy rating and disclosure policy implementation in U.S. cities and states, a reflection of how quickly these policies have risen through statehouses and city halls across the country.
Five years ago not a single policy existed here, yet rich innovation by state and local policymakers has reshaped the landscape in bold ways.
BR1.2 - The Website Revamp
Some may have noted the conspicuously infrequent blog posting going on over the past month. Others of you may have perceived the recent changes in the format and content of the site. Unsurprisingly, these two phenomena are related. We have put some great work into a refurbishment of the site after four months of feedback and experience.
Welcome to the new and improved BuildingRating.org!
