USGBC’s Building Performance Partnership (BPP) was recently launched “…in an effort to optimize the performance of buildings through data collection, analysis, and action.” Owners of commercial and residential LEED certified projects are invited to participate in the BPP. In return for sharing a project’s actual energy and water data, BPP participants are eligible for annual performance reports, report cards and real-time data interfaces to aid in their building performance goals.
Who Can Participate?
Any LEED certified project (regardless of rating system) can participate.
The first phase is focused on whole buildings (LEED-NC projects), USGBC intends to integrate LEED-CI projects during the second phase in 2011.
How do LEED certified building owners and managers participate?
- Visit USGBC’s BPP website for more information www.usgbc.org then click on Building Performance Partnership under the LEED tab.
- For multi-family & commercial projects: Start an Energy Star Portfolio Manager account (or use your existing account) www.energystar.gov/istar/pmpam Register as a new user and start entering your project/facility data. You can add multiple facilities to your portfolio, or create a separate portfolio for each facility if desired.
* Enter at least 12 consecutive months of data for your LEED certified project in Portfolio Manager
* Using Portfolio Manager, “share” your specific LEED project with USGBC. Not all projects within a portfolio have to be shared. From the USGBC BPP website page under “How to participate” , click on the link “USGBC’s Sharing Access to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Data instructions (PDF)” and follow the directions.
Why should LEED certified building owners and managers participate?
- Demonstrate leadership in the built environment – sharing data will help inform high performance building design
- Help shape a system - While BPP is voluntary, the BPP reporting system is similar to proposals for the mandatory reporting in LEED 2009. If you would like to help shape the future of mandatory LEED reporting, participating in the BPP may be advantageous.
- Get ready for mandatory requirements in Seattle - In 2010, Seattle passed an Energy Disclosure Ordinance that requires owners to annually benchmark and report their property’s energy performance (via Portfolio Manager) to the City and disclose to prospective buyers, tenants and lenders during the sale, lease or financing of property. Reporting for large non-residential buildings starts April 2011, multi-family buildings & smaller projects will report in April 2012
- Receive tools from BPP to help meet your performance goals - A sample report will be shared at Greenbuild 2010’s BPP Specialty Update. Sample reports should be available by the end of the year.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- If my LEED certified building is not performing as predicted, is my certification in jeopardy?
No. USGBC’s press release specifically addresses this issue - “No building will be decertified for performance or a performance gap, rather this information will be used to inform and help projects achieve higher levels of performance” http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/News/BPP%20Press%20Release.pdf - Will my building be used anonymously in public reports?
USGBC continues to develop these protocols. For the initial phase of BPP, USGBC will not share any individual data with anyone but the project owner or owner’s representative, unless USGBC has written permission. If, after reading USGBC’s BPP FAQ http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=7743 you still have anonymity concerns, one option is to communicate to USGBC via the note section of Portfolio Manager (general information → edit → scroll down to notes). However, if you have a highly sensitive project, we recommend you discuss your concerns with USGBC directly.