Glossary of key terms

Benchmarking: the assessment of a building’s energy use and efficiency.

Energy Performance Scorecard: a personalized scorecard presented to Building Benchmark BC participants who have completed the benchmarking process with customized insights regarding the building’s energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, building rank (to similar buildings), recommendations to improve, cost savings estimates, and year-over-year trends.

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager®: the tool developed and maintained by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to track and assess the relative energy performance of similar buildings nationwide.

ENERGY STAR Score: The 1-100 score calculated by ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® that measures how well the property is performing relative to similar properties, when normalized for climate and operational characteristics. 1 represents the worst performing buildings and 100 represents the best performing buildings.

GHG: Greenhouse gas emissions, in tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) equivalents.

GHGI: Greenhouse gas intensity in kilograms of CO₂ equivalents per square metre of gross floor area (kgCO₂e/m²).

Greenhouse Gas Emission Factors: GHG emission factors are multipliers used to calculate how much carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂e) are emitted for each energy type. The emission factors that Building Benchmark BC uses for these calculations change every year.

Gross Floor Area: For single buildings, measure the GFA between the outside surface of the exterior walls of the building(s). This includes all areas inside the building(s) including supporting areas. GFA is not the same as rentable space, but rather includes all the areas inside the building(s).

• Include in GFA: lobbies, tenant areas, common areas, meeting rooms, break rooms, atriums (count the base level only), restrooms, elevator shafts, stairwells, mechanical equipment areas, basements, storage rooms.

• Do not include in GFA: exterior spaces, balconies, patios, exterior loading docks, driveways, covered walkways, outdoor play courts (tennis, basketball, etc.), parking, the interstitial plenum space between floors (which house pipes and ventilation), crawl spaces.

Public Disclosure Map: a visual display of Building Benchmark BC participants on a map of British Columbia (Website Link) including case studies on buildings that have undergone retrofits and upgraded to lower-energy and lower-carbon equipment. Participation in the public disclosure map is optional, but encouraged, as it helps to move the industry forward towards energy and greenhouse gas reductions.

Site EUI: The site energy use intensity (or Site EUI) is the measure of the total energy use at the property divided by the reported gross floor area.

Do you have a question or need assistance? Contact us by email or visit the Building Benchmark BC Website for more information.