The Building Button, a new tool launched by the Investor Confidence Project (ICP), standardizes the collection of data from energy efficiency projects, and “makes it easy to share that information with investors, building owners, developers, and utilities,” according to a news release.
Based on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Energy Data Exchange Specification, the tool integrates best practices and specifications developed by ICP and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), including the Building Energy Data Exchange Specification (BEDES). Expressing energy efficiency data in a common language, the Building Button allows all parties to compare specifications across multiple projects with one click. This ability helps to reduce underwriting and actuarial analysis costs, builds trust in energy savings, and drives market demand for energy efficiency projects.
“One of the major barriers to wide-scale adoption of energy efficiency is the hassle factor,” said Matt Golden, ICP director. “Every investment is unique, with data lodged in incompatible spreadsheets, documents, and other digital files. The lack of uniform data standards means that transaction costs are prohibitively high. The Building Button helps solve that by establishing guidelines for all project data, streamlining the process of project development and investment.”
In 2017, ICP will join Green Building Certification Inc. (GBCI) to create the first global underwriting standard for energy efficiency projects.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Apr 20, 2022
A Frankfurt tower gives residents greenery-framed views
In Frankfurt, Germany, the 27-floor EDEN tower boasts an exterior “living wall system”: 186,000 plants that cover about 20 percent of the building’s facade.
Wood | Apr 13, 2022
Mass timber: Multifamily’s next big building system
Mass timber construction experts offer advice on how to use prefabricated wood systems to help you reach for the heights with your next apartment or condominium project.
Modular Building | Mar 31, 2022
Rick Murdock’s dream multifamily housing factory
Modular housing leader Rick Murdock had a vision: Why not use robotic systems to automate the production of affordable modular housing? Now that vision is a reality.
Legislation | Mar 28, 2022
LEED Platinum office tower faces millions in fines due to New York’s Local Law 97
One Bryant Park, also known as the Bank of America Tower, in Manhattan faces an estimated $2.4 million in annual fines when New York City’s York’s Local Law 97 goes into effect.
Energy-Efficient Design | Mar 25, 2022
University of Pittsburgh Releases ‘Pitt Climate Action Plan’
The University of Pittsburgh has released the Pitt Climate Action Plan, detailing how the University will achieve its goal to go carbon neutral by 2037 through investments in clean energy, transportation, efficiency and other areas.
AEC Tech Innovation | Mar 9, 2022
Meet Emerge: WSP USA's new AEC tech incubator
Pooja Jain, WSP’s VP-Strategic Innovation, discusses the pilot programs her firm’s new incubator, Emerge, has initiated with four tech startup companies. Jain speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about the four AEC tech firms to join Cohort 1 of the firm’s incubator.
Codes and Standards | Feb 18, 2022
Proposal would make all new buildings in Los Angeles carbon-neutral
Los Angeles may become the next large city to ban fossil fuels from new construction if legislation recently introduced in the city council becomes law.
Green | Jan 10, 2022
The future of regenerative building is performance-based
Why measuring performance results is so critical, but also easier said than done.
Sustainability | Oct 28, 2021
Reducing embodied carbon in construction, with sustainability leader Sarah King
Sustainability leader Sarah King explains how developers and contractors can use the new EC3 software tool to reduce embodied carbon in their buildings.
Green | Oct 6, 2021
My reaction to the UN IPCC Climate Change 2021 report: Ugh!
The recent report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is not a happy read.
