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Commercial Customer Resources

This library of educational resources has been developed specifically for Customers participating in the Commercial, Industrial, Local Government and/or Multifamily Clean Energy Programs.

  • Advanced Energy Design Guides – ASHRAE, in collaboration with AIA (American Institute of Architects), IES (Illuminating Engineering Society), USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) and the DOE (Department of Energy) continues to develop the Advanced Energy Design Guide (AEDG) Series.   The zero-energy Guides offer designers and contractors the tools needed for achieving zero energy buildings. The 50% Guides offer designers and contractors the tools needed for achieving a 50% energy savings compared to buildings that meet the minimum requirements of Standard 90.1-2004, and the 30% Guides offer a 30% energy savings compared to buildings that meet the minimum energy requirements of Standard 90.1-1999.
  • ASHRAE’s Building EQ Portal – ASHRAE’s Building EQ Portal provides a quick energy analysis that benchmarks a building’s energy performance. Building EQ assists in the preparation of an ASHRAE Level 1 Energy Audit to identify means to improve a building’s energy performance including low-cost, no-cost energy efficiency measures and an Indoor Environmental Quality survey with recorded measurements to provide additional information to assess a building’s performance.
  • ASHRAE Technology Portal – ASHRAE Technology Portal is a one-stop location for ASHRAE papers, articles, reports, and seminar recordings. ASHRAE Members have free access to download ASHRAE Journal articles and ASHRAE Research Reports. ASHRAE Transactions and Conference Papers and seminar recordings from ASHRAE conferences are also available to Members and nonmembers by subscription.
  • Association of Energy Engineers – The Association of Energy Engineers® (AEE) is a nonprofit professional society of over 18,000 members in more than 100 countries. The mission of AEE is “to promote the scientific and educational interests of those engaged in the energy industry and to foster action for Sustainable Development.”  AEE offers a full array of informational outreach programs including seminars (live and online), conferences, journals, books, and certification programs.
  • BCxA Existing Building Commissioning Best Practices Guide – This document defines the qualities and characteristics of best commissioning practices in order to promote those practices in the built environment.
  • BCxA New Construction Building Commissioning Best Practices Guide – The New Construction Building Commissioning Best Practice guide covers a general new construction commissioning process that is applicable to most building systems and assemblies. It is process-driven, with allowable flexibility for unique conditions, and where a practice seems unclear by its varied application, more detail is given.
  • Building Commissioning Association – The Building Commissioning Association (BCxA) is an international non-profit organization that serves as the recognized authority and resource on commissioning. BCxA’s mission is to guide the building commissioning industry by advancing best practices and education throughout the building industry, and promoting the benefits of building commissioning to achieve buildings that work. The BCxA supports certification programs that set a high bar for the commissioning professionals who manage the total building commissioning process.
  • BuildingGreen -BuildingGreen, Inc. is an independent, mission-based consultancy and publisher based in Brattleboro, Vermont. For over 20 years, BuildingGreen has been the trusted source on healthy and sustainable design and construction strategies available online and in-person through consulting and training services.
  • Building Energy Asset Score – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Energy Asset Score (Asset Score) is a national standardized tool for assessing the physical and structural energy efficiency of commercial and multifamily residential buildings. The Asset Score generates a simple energy efficiency rating that enables comparison among buildings and identifies opportunities to invest in energy efficiency upgrades. It is available for voluntary use and is 100% free to use.
  • California Commissioning Collaborative (CCC) – CCC is recognized as a leader on matters related to commissioning.  CCC’s goal is to improve overall building performance by delivering cost-effective trainings, educational information, tools, and research, with a specific focus on identifying opportunities and promoting solutions that enable the building commissioning process in California.
  • COMFEN – A tool to analyze and optimize facade options for commercial buildings, capabilities include evaluation of energy consumption, daylighting, glare, and thermal comfort.
  • Cool Roofs Calculator – U.S. Estimates cooling and heating savings for flat roofs with non-black surfaces.
  • Cool Roofs Fact Sheet – U.S. Department of Energy brochure on cool roofs; describing the science behind cool roofs, how to purchase cool roof materials, and the benefits of cool roofs.
  • Energy Star Certified Homes and Apartments – ENERGY STAR certified homes and apartments are at least 10% more energy-efficient than homes built to code and achieve a 20% improvement on average while providing homeowners with better quality, performance, and comfort.
  • Energy Star Energy Strategies for Buildings and Plants – ENERGY STAR has developed a suite of tools and resources help businesses determine the most cost-effective approach to managing energy use in their buildings and plants—enabling the private sector to save energy, increase profits, and strengthen their competitiveness.
  • Energy Star Portfolio Manager – ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® is an online tool commercial building owners and managers can use to measure and track energy and water consumption, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. It allows owners and managers to benchmark the performance of one building or a whole portfolio of buildings, all in a secure online environment.
  • High Performing Buildings – Published in conjunction with ASHRAE, High Performing Buildings magazine describes measured performance of practices and technologies to promote better buildings, presenting case studies that feature integrated building design practices and improved operations and maintenance techniques. Practical solutions are presented through case studies that include measured performance data and lessons learned through the design, construction and operation of today’s best-performing buildings measured through sustainability, efficiency and whole-building performance.
  • National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) – Established by Congress, NIBS is non-profit, non-governmental organization bringing together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor, and consumer interests to focus on the identification and resolution of problems that hamper the construction of safe, affordable structures for housing, commerce and industry throughout the United States. The Institute provides an authoritative source of advice for both the private and public sector of the economy with respect to the use of building science and technology.
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Technology Performance Exchange -The Technology Performance Exchange™ provides consumers, manufacturers, vendors, modelers, researchers, and utilities standardized product data to facilitate and improve assessments and comparisons of building-related products. This is a centralized, web-based portal for finding and sharing information on cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies.
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory: URBANopt – The URBANopt (Urban Renewable Building And Neighborhood optimization) advanced analytics platform supports the design and optimization of urban districts and helps plan the integration of high-efficiency, sustainable energy technologies community-wide.
  • NEEA Emerging Technology Reports – The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) publishes quarterly reports on emerging technologies that can reduce energy consumption in homes and business across the Northwest.
  • Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance – The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is an alliance of more than 140 Northwest utilities and energy efficiency organizations working to advance energy efficiency on behalf of more than 13 million energy consumers.
  • Roof Savings Calculator – The Roof Savings Calculator was developed as an industry-consensus roof savings calculator for commercial and residential buildings using whole-building energy simulations. An annual simulation of hour-by-hour performance is calculated for the building properties provided based on weather data for the selected location. Annual energy savings reported are based upon heating and cooling loads and thus this calculator is only relevant to buildings with a heating and/or cooling unit.
  • US DOE Building Technologies Office – The US Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office leads a vast network of research and industry partners to continually develop innovative, cost-effective energy-saving solutions—better products, better new homes, better ways to improve older homes, and better buildings in which we work, shop, and lead our everyday lives.
  • US DOE Building Technologies Office: BTO Digest – The Building Technologies Office Digest provides a roundup of the latest news, funding opportunities, reports, events, and webinars from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Technologies Office.  Subscribe here: https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/bto-digest-office-newsletter
  • US DOE Building Technologies Office: Emerging Technologies Program – BTO’s Emerging Technologies (ET) Program enables cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies to be developed and introduced into the marketplace. ET funds and directs applied research and development (R&D) for technologies and tools that support building energy efficiency.  Specific areas of focus include: HVAC, Water Heating, and Appliances; Windows and Building Envelope; Solid-State Lighting; Whole-Building Energy Modeling (BEM); Sensors and Controls; Buildings-to-Grid Integration.
  • Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) – Maintained by the National Institute of Building Sciences, the WBDG is the only web-based portal providing government and industry practitioners with one-stop access to up-to-date information on a wide range of building-related guidance, criteria, and technology from a ‘whole buildings’ perspective. Currently organized into three major categories—Design Guidance, Project Management, and Operations & Maintenance—at the heart of the WBDG are Resource Pages, reductive summaries on particular topics.