BPS Library

This document is intended to serve as a resource for states, cities, and other jurisdictions who are considering adopting a building performance standard (BPS) and want to better understand what is feasible within the context of their jurisdiction. It provides information on key considerations for developing a BPS.

Implementing a successful Building Performance Standard or benchmarking program requires accurate and comparable building data. The first step is to develop a “Covered Buildings List” (CBL), which consists of all the buildings covered by the BPS or benchmarking regulations developed by the jurisdiction, for example, all commercial buildings greater than 50,000 square feet. This document provides an overview of the process and key considerations for developing a CBL. It is intended for BPS or benchmarking policy administrators and implementers to help plan the process and level of effort needed to develop CBL. It does not provide detailed technical guidance on data processing.

This guide provides an overview of the Standard Energy Efficiency Data (SEED) Platform™. The SEED Platform devel-oped by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to provide a low-cost, user-friendly tool for jurisdictions to launch and manage energy benchmarking and Building Performance Standard (BPS) programs. While some jurisdictions use SEED to manage their BPS end to end, others integrate additional software solutions to organize data and communicate with stakeholders.

Building Performance Standard (BPS) policies are an emerging policy mechanism designed to improve the energy efficiency of, and reduce the emissions from, existing buildings by requiring each covered building to meet an energy use or carbon emissions performance target by a specific deadline. The DOE and EPA are providing hands-on support to jurisdictions interested in developing and implementing a BPS or similar building intervention policy. This document provides background information on BPS, lists key resources and tools, and describes the types of support that are available.

Standardizing and streamlining the audit documentation process can help Building Performance Standard (BPS) program managers achieve consistency in compliance and aid individual building managers to document and implement building efficiency improvements more effectively. This document describes how the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Audit Template tool can play a key role in managing BPS compliance over time by allowing standardized energy audit data collection, reporting, and management of multiple compliance cycles.

This document provides an overview of key considerations for aligning a building performance standard (BPS) and energy code. It is intended for BPS policymakers and implementers to understand questions such as: Why align BPS and energy code? How do code compliance paths affect future BPS compliance? What strategies can be used to ensure alignment between the two policies?

This document provides an overview of the process and key considerations for developing a Covered Buildings List (CBL) for a Building Performance Standard (BPS). It is intended for BPS or benchmarking policy administrators and implementers to help plan the process and level of effort needed to develop a CBL. It does not provide detailed technical guidance on data processing.

This two-page needs assessment provides the industry needs to establish and implement the BPS from the market perspective.

Brief document providing overview of EPA's guidance on the use of net energy metrics for BPS.