Baselines
New Building projects must use the calculated EUI of a comparable building meeting ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019 or later as a baseline. To determine if the energy consumption levels are at least 20% better than ASHRAE Standard 90.1, project teams must use the Performance Rating Method found in Appendix G of ASHRAE Standard 90.1. This requires the use of a whole building simulation tool and model. For residential and commercial buildings not covered by ASHRAE 90.1, IECC 2021 or later can be alternatively used to set the calculated EUI of a comparable building.
Building Renovation or Interior projects may show that a project meets the energy consumption levels of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 by using the prescriptive or Energy Cost Budget (ECB) methods in lieu of the Performance Rating Method.
Residential projects not covered by ASHRAE 90.1 or IECC 2021, Building Renovation, or Interior projects also have the option to demonstrate a 50% reduction in total net annual energy consumption as compared to a project-specific baseline. Baselines can be established by using a current typical building with a comparable climate, floor area, use, and occupancy. Project teams must use approved baselining tools to calculate energy baselines. If a project has more than one Typology (e.g., a Building Renovation project with an addition), the energy baseline can be created by using a weighted average based on the Project Boundary and the required reduction percentages.
If a project’s energy model and target EUI need to be updated due to unprecedented weather patterns or a change in building use and function after the Ready Audit is complete, the team must submit a narrative justifying the new target EUI and the new energy model. The new narrative and energy model must be submitted for review by an ILFI third-party auditor prior to the Final Audit for an additional fee. Project teams must contact lbc.certifications@living-future.org to initiate this process.
Baselining Tools
For Building Renovation or Interior projects pursuing the project-specific baseline pathway, the list below comprises the tools currently approved to develop project-specific energy baselines. If a project team wishes to use an alternative data source or methodology that is more locally relevant for establishing an equivalent baseline, it must be submitted as a Request for Ruling for preapproval. Requests must include a description of the tool, the source of the data, date of the dataset, and why the alternative is more accurate or relevant for the project (typology, country, region, etc.). The baseline and target EUI generated by the proposed tool must also be provided with the request. Additional tools have been approved for Oceania, Singapore, and Minnesota in the U.S. (see Regional Equivalency Baselines).
- Zero Tool is a web-based tool, created by Architecture 2030, that calculates a building-specific baseline Energy Use Intensity (EUI), target EUI, and GHG emissions based on a reduction goal. To generate these values, the tool utilizes climate, type, and occupancy-normalized energy consumption data from the 2003 U.S. Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) dataset. Values can be generated for projects in North America, though the tool provides guidance on how to generate equivalent values for projects in other countries.
- EDGE is a web-based tool, developed by IFC World Bank Group, that draws on various data sources to generate an energy baseline. Results can be generated for projects in Africa, Asia, and North and South America. The tool sources energy consumption trend data from local energy efficiency codes when applicable or otherwise uses the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 standard to generate a baseline case.
Data to be entered into the selected baselining tool, such as ZIP/postal code, building use type(s), and gross floor area(s), must be as detailed as possible so that the resulting baseline is as accurate as possible.
Building-Specific Baseline Data
The following tools may also be used to generate the baseline EUI for the specified building type:
Multifamily Housing
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is a web-based tool developed by ENERGY STAR that measures and tracks energy performance within buildings.
Laboratory Projects
Laboratory Benchmarking Tool is a web-based tool developed by kW Engineering, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL).
Interior
The energy baseline must align with the end uses that are within the project scope, meaning those loads and systems that are within the tenant’s space and within their control. For example, an Interior project that has no control over the base building’s heating and cooling systems should not reference a baseline that includes space heating and cooling energy. In addition, an Interior project may not exclude energy-consuming loads within their tenant space because they do not plan to upgrade them. If the loads are within the tenant space and within the tenant’s control, they must be included in the baseline and final project scope/calculations. The percentage reduction should be calculated using this scope-dependent baseline.
Performance Period and Multiple Tenants
Additional guidance regarding baselines for multi-tenant projects is under the performance period clarifications in this Imperative.
