With most building professionals looking for ways to reduce energy and water consumption, benchmarking energy usage is a great first step. If the process of benchmarking performance seems overly complicated, a tool has been developed to help you reach your green goals. The Certificate of Proficiency in Benchmarking, launched by the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation, provides users an easy way to learn best practices for benchmarking energy and water data. The online training is available at no charge though formal certifications will be offered for a fee.
The course consists of online training modules based on the use of ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager program to ensure uniform data collection and reporting.For users looking to complete the certification program, there will be an exam in addition to the training course. Completion of the training modules and the exam not only qualify an individual for the certification, but the program is also worth four hours of CEU credits toward GBCI and AIA credential maintenance.
The program’s developers hope to standardize the process of collecting and assessing energy and water usage data. This will reduce benchmarking mistakes that can compromise its usefulness and provide an easy accountability tool for building professionals.
Want to benchmark your building’s performance but don’t know where to start? Take a look at this easy Guide to the Portfolio Manager tool.
