Building Performance:  Technical Resources

Last updated: July, 2006

This listing includes published reports, guides, and announcements that illustrate the important technical aspects of the building performance field. Reports are indicated by a publishing date following the title. We will contine to update the page as new sources are identified and we will note the date of the latest update here. If you know of useful materials that should be added to the list, please send us your suggestions.

• Commissioning
• Benchmarking & Measurement
• Training
• Research Activities
• International Efforts
• Sector-Specific Resources

The Cost-Effectiveness of Commercial Buildings Commissioning: A Meta-Analysis of Energy and Non-Energy Impacts in Existing Buildings and New Construction in the United States (2004)
Prepared by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, PECI, and Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M

FEMP's O&M Best Practices Guide - A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency (2004)
In Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment

PECI's O&M Best Practices Series (download or purchase available from PECI)

A Practical Guide for Commissioning Existing Buildings (1999) (download available from ORNL)
Prepared by Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. (PECI) & Oak Ridge National Laboratory

What Can Commissioning Do for Your Building? (pdf)
A brochure for program developers to show building owners, produced by PECI

The Building Commissioning Handbook, Second Edition (purchase available from the BCxA)
Prepared by the Building Commissioning Association (BCxA) More BCxA resources>>>

New York State Guideline to the Process of Commissioning for Existing Buildings (pdf)
Developed for the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority by PECI

What to Expect from Your RCx Service Provider: An RFP Checklist (pdf)

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Benchmarking & Measurement

Functional Testing and Design Guides
Interactive Web site developed by PECI

Best Practice Commisioning Database for Green Buildings (2006)
Paper on database constructed by Ebert & Baumann Conulsting Engineers

Benchmarking System for California Commercial Buildings (2005) (pdf)
Report prepared by the California Energy Commission

• California Executive Order S 20-04 Benchmarking White Paper (2005) (pdf)
• High Performance Commercial Building Systems (2005) (pdf)
  Review of California and National Benchmarking Methods from Lawrence Berkeley Lab

Defining and Rating Commercial Building Performance (2005)
A White Paper by Michael McDonald, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

US National Energy Performance Rating System and ENERGY STAR Building Certification Program
By Thomas Hicks and Bill Von Neida, U.S. EPA

ASHRAE Guidelines and Standards:

• ASHRAE Standard 105-1984 (1984) (purchase available from ASHRAE)
  An industry standard for methods of measuring, expressing, and comparing building energy performance.
• ASHRAE Guideline 0-2005: The Commissioning Process
  The purpose of this Guideline is to describe the Commissioning Process capable of verifying that a facility and its systems meet the Owner’s Project Requirements.
  
• ASHRAE Guideline 1-1996 - The HVAC Commissioning Process
  This Guideline details the process for ensuring quality commissioning of HVAC equipment

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Training

Retrocommissioning Training
An overview by David Claridge, Texas A&M University Energy Services Laboratory, ASHRAE Seminar, 2004

Advanced Buildings Training Resources and Events Calendar
At the Energy Center of Wisconsin

Certified Commissioning ProfessionalTM Program
Provided by the Building Commissioning Association

Building Operator Certification
Building Operator Certification (BOC) is a nationally recognized training and certification program for building operators offering improved job skills and more comfortable, energy-efficient facilities.

The Testing, Adjusting, Balancing Bureau (TABB) Certification Program

Courses in Building Systems and Construction
At the University of Wisconsin

Community College Curriculum for Energy-Efficient High-Performance Building Operations
An initiative of Laney College, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, the Deringer Group

ENERGY STAR On-line Training Sessions
Self-guided lessons, live web conferences and pre-recorded trainings are available for free from the ENERGY STAR website. Lessons are offered on ENERGY STAR program overviews, creating action plans, assessing performance, and financing strategies.

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Research Activities

DOE High Performance Buildings Initiative

• Performance Metrics Research
• High Performance Buildings Database

LBNL/EPRI Center for Green Buildings Research

Standardized Energy Performance Metrics (2002) (pdf)
Final Report from the High Performance Commercial Building Systems Program, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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International Efforts

Beyond PROBE: Making Feedback Routine (2004) (pdf)
By Bordass, et al., a paper presented at a Conference on post-occupancy evaluation in Windsor, UK

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Sector-Specific Resources

Energy Star Sector-Specific Resources:

Saving Energy with Energy Efficiency in Hotels and Motels (1997) (download available from CADDET)
Prepared by CADDET

Saving Energy with Energy Efficiency in Hospitals (1997) (download available from CADDET)
Prepared by CADDET

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