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This Fact Sheet provides an overview of the Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines project. The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) are working with industry stakeholders to develop voluntary national guidelines that will improve the quality and consistency of commercial building workforce training and certification programs for five key energy-related jobs.

The Energy Management Package was developed by LBNL and DOE to deliver energy management and low- and no-cost energy efficiency opportunities to the small commercial building sector (less than 50,000 sq. ft.). This whole-building efficiency service offering was designed to be delivered by HVAC contractors at low transaction cost, and includes analysis of whole-building monthly or interval energy data and benchmarking, using free and low cost software tools. The website includes links to the Package itself, the business model associated with delivery of the Package, an introductory webinar, and an overview slide deck. Contractors servicing the small commercial sector who are interested to help demonstrate this approach should contact the point of contact below.

The package helps contractors to address questions such as:
What no- or low-cost measures could generate savings in a building?
How much energy does a building use compared with similar buildings?
How has energy usage changed over time? If the owner has already made upgrades, have they been effective?
How much money could potentially be saved through energy upgrades?

While the availability of “big data” about building energy performance is increasing in response to market demands and public policies, the lack of standard data formats is a significant ongoing barrier to its full utilization. To overcome this barrier, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) developed the Building Energy Data Exchange Specification (BEDES).

BEDES is designed to enable the exchange, comparison, and combination of empirical information by providing common terms and definitions for data about commercial and residential building’s physical and operational characteristics, energy use, and efficiency measures.

This paper describes the BEDES development process, scope, structure, and plans for implementation and ongoing updates.

Evidence has shown that owning and operating energy-efficient, high-performance properties is a sound investment strategy that results in multiple financial benefits, including lower utility bills, higher rents, improved occupancy, and greater net operating income (NOI). To overcome difficulties in isolating moderating factors and identifying specific drivers behind sustainability-related improvements in financial performance and value to investors, DOE commissioned this pilot study; designed to test the logistical and empirical procedures required to conduct real estate research and contribute to the existing body of evidence in this field.

Designed as a resource for those who want to develop community solar projects, from community organizers or solar energy advocates to government officials or utility managers. By exploring
the range of incentives and policies while providing examples of operational community solar projects, this guide will help communities to plan and implement successful local energy projects. In addition, by highlighting some of the policy best practices, this guide suggests changes in the regulatory landscape that could significantly boost community solar installations across the country.