July 30, 2012

Canada Green Building Council unveils building performance program

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) recently announced its building performance program, GREEN UP, which enables the benchmarking of energy and water use, goal-setting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and helps identify ways to improve the operational and environmental performance of projects.

Canada’s commercial building sector spends $17.6 billion and generates 65.3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually, says the CaGBC.

Studies also indicate that there is much room for improvement with deep efficiency measures capable of reducing commercial building greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 60 per cent.

GREEN UP will offer access to a national repository that includes building performance data for office, multi-family, long-term healthcare, hotel, retail, kindergarten to grade 12 schools, and government buildings.

The national database is combined with a data visualization tool that allow users to consolidate, analyze, and benchmark building performance against other ENERGY STAR buildings in their portfolio and beyond.

This enables them to identify when and where they are spending energy and money, and they can take the necessary steps to change it.

“Energy costs make up a significant percentage of overall operating expenses and should be a major concern for any building owner. Measuring and benchmarking energy use is a first step in improving current practices,” said Thomas Mueller, CaGBC president and CEO, in a release.

“By giving those involved in managing buildings this comprehensive and accessible tool we are helping them identify where they can improve building performance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The program also includes:

The ability to normalize utility data and generate ENERGY STAR scores for eligible buildings);

Interactive dashboard views organized by building types and sub-types;

Quick and easy access to flexible and interactive reports;

Decision guides that help support sustainable capital and operational investment spending.

JOC NEWS SERVICE

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