Chicago Approves ASHRAE Certification for Benchmarking Data Verification

by | Apr 3, 2014

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ASHRAE Energy ManageThe City of Chicago now recognizes the ASHRAE-Certified Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP) as a data verifier credential under the city’s new Energy Benchmarking Ordinance. As a result, BEAP credential holders are eligible to provide professional verification of data for the new benchmarking and transparency ordinance.

BEAPs can audit and analyze residential, commercial and industrial building energy use, including determining project scope, collecting data, analyzing building performance, interpreting results, evaluating alternatives, submitting recommendations for energy conservation measures and assisting with the implementation of these recommendations.

In September 2013, Chicago became the ninth city in the United States to require that buildings benchmark energy performance and publicly disclose data. The ordinance authorizes the city to disclose building specific information starting in the second year of compliance. Chicago requires that data to be verified by a licensed professional. Covered buildings are required to have data verified by professionals on the first and every third year after. That information then will be published so building owners can compare their buildings with similar ones.

All buildings over 50,000 square feet, except industrial, are required to comply with the ordinance. Some 3,500 buildings are covered, including multi-family residential. While this is less than 1 percent of all buildings in Chicago, it represents 20 percent of the energy consumed annually by buildings.

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