February 2018 updates to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

How these updates will affect LEED projects

The updates listed above will alter the performance of buildings under the LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 rating system, which uses Portfolio Manager for evaluating energy performance under Energy and Atmosphere Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite (EAp2) and Optimize Energy Performance credit (EAc1).

The ENERGY STAR score is percentile-based, scoring your building’s efficiency relative to other buildings. The incorporation of the 2014 SCIEU data will therefore affect scores for commercial office buildings, as the performance of buildings will have changed since the 2009 survey. Likewise, the median performance for buildings that are not eligible for a score will also have changed, impacting their performance under LEED. Finally, updates to the source energy factors (the ratios used to convert site energy into source energy) will impact each building’s source energy use intensity (EUI), which is used as the basis for benchmarking.

Portfolio Manager is also introducing an adjustment for data centres located in office buildings. This will ensure that commercial office buildings with data centres receive a more equitable score. With the introduction of this automatic adjustment, excluding sub-metered energy consumption of data centres will no longer be permitted, and the data centre energy will have to be included in the total building energy consumption entered in Portfolio Manager.

Allowance for LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 projects

The CaGBC has worked with NRCan and stakeholders to better understand the potential implications of the launch of these updates to the Portfolio Manager tool. As a result of these efforts, a special allowance has been developed.  Projects meeting the requirements below may, at their discretion, assess the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite (EAp2) and Optimized Energy Performance credit (EAc1) based on the current Portfolio Manager tool and the performance of the building prior to the February 2018 updates.

Allowance published December 2017 and available to all projects

• The allowance applies to LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 projects that started the last 12-months of the initial certification or recertification performance period prior to the shutdown (scheduled for February 11, 2018), meaning that the project’s certification performance period ends on or before February 10, 2019.
• For Option A (buildings eligible to receive a rating), EAp2/c1 is calculated based on the ENERGY STAR performance rating achieved prior to the February 2018 updates. The performance rating must be demonstrated through information printed from Portfolio Manager prior to the updates, and include a minimum of 12 months of data.
• For Option B or C (buildings not eligible to receive a rating), EAp2/c1 is calculated based on the source EUI achieved prior to the February 2018 updates compared to the national average source energy data provided in the Portfolio Manager tool prior to the February 2018 updates. The source EUI must be demonstrated through information printed from Portfolio Manager prior to the updates, and include a minimum of 12 months of data.
• In all cases, the 12-month performance period assessed must end between November 1, 2017 and the date of the updates to Portfolio Manager (scheduled for February 11, 2018). All space attributes (floor area, space types, occupancy, etc.) must be up to date and accurate at the time.
• The submission for certification must include the required information printed from Portfolio Manager prior to the update, as well as the standard submittal documentation required for the certification performance period.

Allowance published July 2018 and available to commercial office buildings with data centres as an alternative to the allowance above

• The allowance applies to LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 commercial office projects with data centres that started the last 12-months of the initial certification or recertification performance period prior to, or at the time of, the shutdown (February 11, 2018), meaning that the project’s certification performance period ends on or before February 10, 2019.
• Projects may continue to exclude submetered data centres using the Canadian Portfolio Manager tool. EAp2/c1 is calculated based on the ENERGY STAR performance rating achieved during the performance period for the project building with the submetered data centre floor area and associated data centre IT energy consumption subtracted from Portfolio Manager. The performance rating must be demonstrated through information printed from Portfolio Manager and include a minimum of 12 months of data.
• The submission for certification must include the standard submittal documentation required for the certification performance period including submeter information for the data centre.

LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 projects planning to undergo significant energy system upgrades in 2018 should contact the CaGBC to discuss the details of their certification and allowances for LEED certification.

How to prepare for the February 2018 update

LEED Canada EB:O&M projects that are eligible for and would like to apply the above allowance will be required to print information from Portfolio Manager prior to the system shutdown (i.e., on or before February 9th, 2018).

• The ENERGY STAR Data Verification Checklist must be generated and downloaded for each facility. Ensure the correct “Timeframe” is selected, consisting of data up to and including November 1, 2017 or later, and a minimum of 12 months.
• Project teams should ensure that the most current energy consumption data is gathered and entered in Portfolio Manager, as well as verify that all space attributes (floor area, space types, occupancy, etc.) are up to date and accurate.

Specific guidance for commercial office buildings with data centres:

Following the February 2018 update, an engineering adjustment for Data Centers will be included in the Portfolio Manager tool for Canadian commercial office buildings. This automatic adjustment in the tool will make 1-100 ENERGY STAR scores for buildings with data centres more equitable. After the update, Canadian projects must include the data centre energy in the total building consumption entered in Portfolio Manager, therefore excluding sub-metered energy consumption of data centres will no longer be permitted.

Commercial office buildings with sub-metered data centres are permitted to exclude the data centre energy from Portfolio Manager when printing the ENERGY STAR Data Verification Checklist prior to the updates. However, for ENERGY STAR performance ratings generated after the February 2018 update, the data centre energy for the entire 12-month period must be included in the total building consumption entered in Portfolio Manager.

*Update July 2018* Commercial office buildings with data centres may choose to follow the alternate allowance noted above.

Specific guidance for buildings not eligible to receive an energy performance rating (Option B and Option C):

Following the February 2018 update, LEED Canada EB:O&M 2009 projects pursuing the Minimum Energy Performance prerequisite (EAp2) and Optimize Energy Performance credit (EAc1) through Option B or Option C must derive the adjusted benchmark score using the updated version of the Energy Efficiency Performance Option B&C Calculator. Version 7 of the Energy Efficiency Performance Option B&C Calculator will be released to coincide with the February 2018 updates.