ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager updates to affect LEED projects

Updates to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager launching on February 11th, 2018 will change the performance of buildings under the LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 rating system, according to the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).

The following changes will be made:

The scoring model for commercial office buildings will be updated based on the data from the 2014 Survey of Commercial and Institutional Energy Use (SCIEU).
Updates to the adjustments that Portfolio Manager uses to account for parking and pools.
Addition of an adjustment factor for data centres located in office buildings, allowing data centre energy to be included in the total building consumption.
Source energy factors for electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, propane, steam, hot water and chilled water will be updated to reflect the latest data.

LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 rating system uses Portfolio Manager for evaluating energy performance under Energy and Atmosphere Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite (EAp2) and Optimize Energy Performance credit (EAc1).

Projects planning to undergo significant energy system upgrades in 2018 should contact the CaGBC to discuss the details of their certification and allowances for LEED certification.

Launch of ENERGY STAR certification

Beginning in March 2018, eligible building types in Canada will be able to apply for ENERGY STAR certification and share their success with everyone who walks through their doors. To qualify, the building will need to earn an ENERGY STAR score of at least 75, meet certain other eligibility criteria, and have the application verified by a licensed professional.

How LEED projects will be affected

The incorporation of the 2014 SCIEU data will affect scores for commercial office buildings, as the performance of buildings will have changed since the 2009 survey. The median performance for buildings that are not eligible for a score will also have changed, impacting their performance under LEED. Also, updates to the source energy factors (the ratios used to convert site energy into source energy) will impact each building’s source energy use intensity (EUI), which is used as the basis for benchmarking.

Data centres

CaGBC says an added adjustment for data centres located in commercial office buildings will ensure these buildings receive a more equitable score. With the introduction of this automatic adjustment, excluding sub-metered energy consumption of data centres will no longer be permitted, and the data centre energy will have to be included in the total building energy consumption entered in Portfolio Manager.

Allowances

A special allowance has been adapted for LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 projects. Projects meeting certain requirements may assess the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite (EAp2) and Optimized Energy Performance credit (EAc1) based on the current Portfolio Manager tool and the performance of the building prior to the February 2018 updates.

The allowance applies to LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 projects that started the last 12-months of the initial certification or recertification performance period prior to the shutdown (scheduled for February 11, 2018), meaning that the project’s certification performance period ends on or before February 10, 2019.
For Option A (buildings eligible to receive a rating), EAp2/c1 is calculated based on the ENERGY STAR performance rating achieved prior to the February 2018 updates. The performance rating must be demonstrated through information printed from Portfolio Manager prior to the updates, and include a minimum of 12 months of data.
For Option B or C (buildings not eligible to receive a rating), EAp2/c1 is calculated based on the source EUI achieved prior to the February 2018 updates compared to the national average source energy data provided in the Portfolio Manager tool prior to the February 2018 updates. The source EUI must be demonstrated through information printed from Portfolio Manager prior to the updates, and include a minimum of 12 months of data.
In all cases, the 12-month performance period assessed must end between November 1, 2017 and the date of the updates to Portfolio Manager (scheduled for February 11, 2018). All space attributes (floor area, space types, occupancy, etc.) must be up to date and accurate at the time.
The submission for certification must include the required information printed from Portfolio Manager prior to the update, as well as the standard submittal documentation required for the certification performance period.

LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 projects planning to undergo significant energy system upgrades in 2018 are asked to contact the CaGBC to discuss the details of their certification and allowances for LEED certification.

Preparing for updates

LEED Canada EB:O&M projects that are eligible for and would like to apply the allowance will be required to print information from Portfolio Manager prior to the system shutdown on or before February 9th, 2018.

The ENERGY STAR Data Verification Checklist must be generated and downloaded for each facility. Ensure the correct “Timeframe” is selected, consisting of data up to and including November 1, 2017 or later, and a minimum of 12 months.
Project teams should ensure that the most current energy consumption data is gathered and entered in Portfolio Manager, as well as verify that all space attributes (floor area, space types, occupancy, etc.) are up to date and accurate.

Specific guidance for commercial office buildings with data centres:

Following the update, an engineering adjustment for Data Centers will be included in the Portfolio Manager tool for Canadian commercial office buildings. This automatic adjustment in the tool will make 1-100 ENERGY STAR scores for buildings with data centres more equitable. After the update, Canadian projects must include the data centre energy in the total building consumption entered in Portfolio Manager, therefore excluding sub-metered energy consumption of data centres will no longer be permitted.

Commercial office buildings with sub-metered data centres are permitted to exclude the data centre energy from Portfolio Manager when printing the ENERGY STAR Data Verification Checklist prior to the updates. However, for ENERGY STAR performance ratings generated after the February 2018 update, the data centre energy for the entire 12-month period must be included in the total building consumption entered in Portfolio Manager.

Specific guidance for buildings not eligible to receive an energy performance rating (Option B and Option C):

Following the February 2018 update, LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 projects pursuing the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite (EAp2) and Optimize Energy Performance credit (EAc1) through Option B or Option C must derive the adjusted benchmark score using the updated version of the Energy Efficiency Performance Option B&C Calculator. Version 7 of the Energy Efficiency Performance Option B&C Calculator will be released to coincide with the February 2018 updates.

For more information visit the NRCan website.