High performance buildings that reduce carbon emissions and energy use are everyone’s business. Owners that invest in high quality, low carbon buildings not only help us meet our collective targets for lowering emissions that drive climate change, they create healthier, more affordable, comfortable and resilient properties. The increasing demand for such outcomes from regulators, funders and owners can be met by a science-based approach evaluating building performance and compliance.
Outcome-based Efficiency
The best way to ensure that your building(s) or home(s) performs consistently in terms of energy performance and carbon emissions is to conduct a review of its design and operation using a rigorous and proven process of quality assurance and verification. This review should be in alignment with international standards developed by the United Nations, through the Paris Agreement.
As part of the Building Performance Assurance Council’s (BPAC) quality assurance process, information is collected on all forms of building performance, including but not limited to energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, indoor air quality, embodied carbon, comfort, resilience, plus planned measurement and verification of post occupancy results.
BPAC: your trusted resource for validated building performance
BPAC is a membership based not-for-profit organization of industry leaders who understand how to affordably deliver high quality, efficient, low carbon buildings and who wish to see them become the norm. BPAC Accredited Reviewers assess a building’s performance during design, ensuring consistent application of standards and meeting targets needed to lower our collective impact on the environment. Those design stage performance targets can then be matched with actual performance during operations to ensure goals are achieved.
BPAC is currently assessing projects focused on operating energy efficiency, renewable energy, health, comfort & resilience. Upon public launch, we will seek membership in the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, a UN Environment Program initiative arising out of the Paris Accords.
Why enroll your building in the BPAC pilot project?
By enrolling your project in the BPAC quality assurance program you acquire:
- Validated carbon and energy accounting metrics for building performance.
- Confidence that your building will meet its performance criteria identified during the design stage review.
- Independently verified performance data required by funding sources or regulators confirming buildings comply with energy use intensity and emissions reduction targets.
- The building technology tools and data needed for ongoing performance management and optimization.
- Peace of mind from knowing the extent to which the building delivers Paris-aligned outcomes.
- Access to an efficient and affordable quality assurance process which enables timely decisions and maintains project schedules.
BPAC Assessments
When you enroll your buildings with BPAC, your home(s) or building(s) can be reviewed at two crucial stages, both at the conclusion of the design phase and upon completion of your building’s construction or renovation.
Your Accredited Reviewer generates BPAC BPAC Assessments describing the performance and sustainability characteristics of your building(s) or home(s). The assessment quantifies energy consumption and carbon intensity and enables comparisons with the outcomes identified by international and national agencies.
BPAC Accredited Reviewers, independent of the project team and working on behalf of owners, regulators or funders, undertake a detailed, technical review of the building design, energy model, elements of construction and other information prior to issuing a BPAC Assessment. The rigorous quality assurance process enables owners to be confident in use performance can align with predicted performance while also explaining the extent to which the building delivers globally recognized outcomes.
The BPAC Assessment is only one part of the equation, however. The building science underlying the BPAC Assessment can be connected with the data science inherent in smart building systems to deliver granular, time-series performance data enabling ongoing management of your home(s), building(s) or portfolio of buildings. Together with ongoing measurement and verification, the Assessment ensures long term asset value, cost savings, validated carbon metrics and peace of mind.
More Than Energy Savings
Properly executed, the financial returns and savings arising from the quality assurance process and optimized building operations generate a positive return on your investment. You gain assurance on the comfort and health of your building(s) or home(s), their long term value and market appeal, their future-leaning regulatory compliance and reduced total cost of building ownership. These benefits, while less tangible, often far outweigh the more easily measured cost savings of high-performance buildings that operate to their energy and emissions targets.
For more information, please speak with your BPAC Accredited Reviewer to contact us.