Infographic | The Benefits of Building Energy Benchmarking

What is Building Energy Benchmarking?

Building energy benchmarking is the consistent measurement and review of a building’s energy performance, comparing results to previous results, or results of a similar building, to determine if its energy performance has improved or needs improvements.

The Benefits of Building Energy Benchmarking

As Natural Resources Canada states, “the benefits of benchmarking your building’s energy usage are undeniable”. Here are more details on each benefit as explained by NRCan.

1. Provides Valuable Information
   Energy benchmarking “provides objective, reliable information on energy use and the benefits of improvements”.
2. Increases Awareness
   Energy benchmarking “increases general awareness of energy efficiency among building occupants, which in turn may effect changes in behaviour”.
3. Prioritizes Improvement Areas
   Energy benchmarking “prioritizes poorly performing facilities for immediate improvement”.
4. Identifies Best Practices
   Energy benchmarking “identifies best practices that can be replicated, either within a building or across a portfolio of buildings”.
5. Establishes Reference Points
   Energy benchmarking “establishes reference points for measuring and rewarding good performance”.
6. Helps Develop An Action Plan
   Energy benchmarking “helps to develop a comprehensive energy management action plan and build the business case for capital investments (retrofits)”.
7. Leads To Savings
   Energy benchmarking “leads to savings that will lower energy costs while maintaining — or even increasing– profit margins”.

CIET offers a number of workshops which cover benchmarking, including Certified RETScreen^® Expert, Certified Energy Manager, and Dollars to $ense Energy Management Workshops.

For more on energy benchmarketing, visit nrcan.gc.ca.