‘$300,000, 4 Bedrooms and a ‘B+’ Energy Rating’ – Transforming Markets with Mandatory Building Energy Labeling

摘要

As states ramp up their energy and CO2 savings goals, energy efficiency leaders mustrnfind new and innovative ways to achieve savings in the stock of existing homes and buildings.rnOne key tool – mandatory building energy labeling ("MBEL")– seeks to transform markets byrnrequiring that meaningful information about building energy performance be disclosed tornpotential buyers, renters and the public.rnUnder new policies adopted in more than 30 nations worldwide, building owners mustrnobtain an energy performance label. The label can assess physical assets or actual operations, andrncan compare them against their peers or best practices. Owners are required to disclose theirrnlabel in advertisements (e.g. MLS listings), in rental transactions or to a public registry.rnThis paper presents the results of work completed for Northeast Energy EfficiencyrnPartnerships (NEEP) in the fall of 2009. The NEEP white paper is the most comprehensive U.S.rnReview of these policies produced to date. It provides an assessment of the internationalrnexperience (including lessons learned from early experiments abroad), a review of new U.S.rnPolicies, analysis of critical design options and keys to success, and a framework and roadmaprnfor adopting MBEL policies in the U.S.rnThe paper goes further by presenting the most recent developments from the EPA, DOE,rnASHRAE and industry stakeholders, considers potential interactions with new financingrnmechanisms, and addresses two key questions: (1) how – and under what conditions – theserninitiatives can support MBEL, and (2) how MBEL can act as a powerful complement tornconventional energy efficiency programs.