Building Energy Quotient–soon to be a factor in assessing the value of a home based on its energy consumption.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers is developing a new rating system for buildings–based on their energy use and design. In recent months, one green building tool, LEED, has been challenged to demonstrate that buildings with energy efficient design actually result in energy efficiency in operation. The ASHRAE Building EQ rating will rate a building on two factors–its design and performance–with respect to energy use; enabling anyone to see how the building performs and where improvements can be made.
The new system, set to launch in 2010, will be an easy-to-read system, rating buildings from A to F on design and actual energy (as opposed to Energy Star, which is a Pass/Fail format). This will provide an easy comparison for homeowners looking to buy a house–yielding valuable information on work that does (or doesn’t) need to be done.
In the next year, be on the look out for EQ, it may be a measure you want on your home.
For more information, check out Building EQ.