ASHRAE's New Performance Measurement Protocols for Commercial Buildings

Abstract

ASHRAE, CIBSE and USGBC are developing a standardized, consistent set of protocols to facilitate the comparison of the measured performance of buildings, especially those claimed to be green, sustainable, and/or high performance. Such protocols are needed because claims of high performance cannot be credible without such standardized protocols being applied consistently in the U.S. as well as internationally. The protocols will identify what is to be measured, how it is to be measured (instrumentation and spatial resolution), and how often it is to be measured. They will address both the use and reporting of the measured data, as well as appropriate benchmarks for each of the following characteristics: Energy Use (site, and source), Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)-Thermal Comfort, IEQ-Indoor Air Quality, IEQ-Lighting/ Daylighting Quality, IEQ-Acoustics and Water Use. The primary users of the protocols document will be building owners and facility managers, rating and labeling system developers, government officials, as well as architects and design engineers. To date, a scoping document has been developed, an extensive literature review has been performed (available on ASHRAE’s web site), and a committee formed to write the protocols, which are intended for publication in January 2009.