Thank you to Tony Buonicore with Building Energy Performance News and Jack Huntress of EDR!

As many of EDR’s commonground readership know, this April the ASTM approved the formation of a committee to develop a national standard on Building Energy Performance Disclosures.    EDR and Tony Buonicore (one of EDR’s founders) have provided our industry much needed leadership over the years and their push of this standard is another manifestation of their leadership. 

We need their leadership.  The environmental consulting industry is highly fractured.  No firm commands a double digit market share and 1,000 firms participate with a sub-one-percent market share.   The result is no one consulting firm can dedicate the time resources to creating an ASTM Standard that will benefit us all.   EDR’s position affords them the resources to invest time in long campaigns like creating ASTM Standards.

I personally see great value in buyers of buildings understanding the energy ratings of the buildings that they buy.   When you buy a car, the fuel efficiency is on the window—buildings should have something similar. 

California has led the way with Assembly Bill 1103, requiring sellers and lessors to disclose a commercial building’s energy rating to buyers and lessees, respectively.   The State of California mandated that disclosure of commercial building energy performance via EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager.   The California mandated method of disclosure will have value, but the yet to be written ASTM standard has the potential to improve the process.