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ASHRAE Preliminary Energy-Use Analysis (PEA): Energy Star Portfolio Manager
ASHRAE defines the Preliminary Energy-Use Analysis (PEA) as the energy audit starting point; its purpose is to gauge the overall energy efficiency of a facility. The first step is converting annual energy use to common energy units... British Thermal Units (Btus). Whether a building uses electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, propane, etc., individual energy uses can be converted to Btus and then added together to determine TOTAL annual energy use. Dividing total annual energy use by building area (square feet) creates the Energy Utilization Index (EUI). The EUI is a measure of building energy use that is effective for comparing one building to similar buildings to gauge energy efficiency; it is the generally accepted engineering practice for doing so. |
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The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created Energy Star in 1992 as as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy efficient products. Eventually, the program developed an energy performance rating system for commercial buildings, which has now become the industry standard. Energy Star Portfolio Manager scores a building from 1-100 based on its characteristics and EUI compared to similar buildings. A score of 75 or greater qualifies a building for the certification process, which could ultimately lead to being awarded an Energy Star Label. Not all types of buildings are eligible for Energy Star Labels yet, but the database is expanding daily and more building types are always being added.
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Though Energy Star Label eligibility is limited, Energy Star Portfolio Manager as a tool for commercial buildings is not. We use it for all buildings in calculating the EUI for comparative purposes and is a very effective Preliminary Energy-Use Analsysis, as defined by ASHRAE. Portfolio Manager is the starting point for our energy audits... ASHRAE Level 1, 2, 3 or HUD 5-Year Audits all begin with Energy Star.
