New Site Tracks Global Policy for Building Energy Rating

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03/09/2011 10:24 AM       New Site Tracks Global Policy for
Building Energy Rating SustainableBusiness.com News The Institute for
Market Transformation (IMT) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
launched what they say is the world's first comprehensive resource on energy
performance rating and disclosure policies for homes and commercial
buildings. BuildingRating.org contains a searchable library of rating and
disclosure information and an interactive map of global policies and
programs. BuildingRating.org users can search more than 100 countries and
jurisdictions to learn where policies are enacted and how they are being
implemented, what types of rating systems are used to evaluate energy
performance, and how policies are impacting markets. "We are pleased to
launch BuildingRating.org at this important time in the evolution of global
energy rating and disclosure policy," said Andrew Burr, director of IMT's
Building Energy Rating program. "This resource will be a conduit for
policymakers to find and exchange ideas and best practices, and a tool for
the real estate industry to track and comply with local policies and
programs." Energy rating and disclosure encourages energy efficiency by
raising consumer awareness about the energy performance and energy cost of
homes and buildings. The European Union, China, Australia and a number of
U.S. states and cities have enacted rating and disclosure policies.
"Governments around the world are embracing building energy rating and
disclosure as a policy tool to reduce energy usage in homes and buildings,
drive investments in building energy efficiency and boost local economies by
creating jobs," said Dale Bryk, director of NRDC's Air and Energy Program.
"BuildingRating.org is a valuable resource that will help accelerate this
trend in U.S. states and cities." Last month, the city of San Francisco
enacted a commercial rating and disclosure policy, one of nearly 20 such
policies related to homes or commercial buildings that are now in place in
the United States. IMT staff is in frequent contact with government
officials in many U.S. states and cities and updates BuildingRating.org
weekly to reflect new policies, policy proposals and research from around
the world. "The initial information-gathering process for
BuildingRating.org took more than four months to complete," said David
Leipziger, research associate at IMT and the lead researcher for
BuildingRating.org. "We believe cataloguing this information and making it
accessible will benefit diverse stakeholders in the public and private
sectors." Website: www.buildingrating.org « previous news story» next
news story Reader Comments (1) Author:Jason Date Posted: 03/09/11 06:57
PM Does this cut into the USGBC's territory a bit? Or at least its LEED
rating?
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