The Building Technologies Office (BTO) uses performance metrics to standardize the measurement and characterization of energy performance in commercial buildings. These metrics help inform the effectiveness of energy-efficiency measures in existing buildings and highlight opportunities to improve performance. Various tiers of metrics are available for different users.

Performance Metrics Objectives

Performance metrics deal with building energy consumption and on-site energy production. To be useful, industry must agree on standard definitions for these metrics and share consistent procedures for collecting and reporting data as well as ensuring data quality.

Toward this end, BTO established definitions for the following performance metrics and procedures:

• Standardization: Standard definitions provide a consistent basis for comparing energy performance among buildings.
• Versatility: The analysis is customized to the facility boundaries, energy configuration, analysis goals, and analysis budget of specific projects.
• Efficiency: Data collection is carefully matched to the analysis goals and study questions, avoiding the common pitfalls of too little or too much information.

Key Metrics Reports

The following documents provide information about measuring and reporting various attributes of a building's energy performance.

• Procedure for Measuring and Reporting Commercial Building Energy Performance
• Procedure to Measure Indoor Lighting Energy Performance
• Procedure for Measuring and Reporting the Performance of Photovoltaic Systems in Buildings
• Standard Definitions of Building Geometry for Energy Evaluation
• Performance Metrics Research Project—Final Report
• Source Energy and Emission Factors for Energy Use in Buildings
• Buildings Performance Metrics Terminology