Outcome-Based Approach Working Group

CEA’s Outcome-Based Approach (OBA) Working Group (originally Outcome-Based Code) aims to make a data-driven case for both outcome-based code compliance and building performance standards. There is an industry-wide understanding that buildings do not perform how they are expected to, as designed and calculated by energy code, but there is limited and in-cohesive data clearly illustrating and defining this gap. The OBA Working Group plans to conduct research on a large inventory of buildings to quantify this gap and then use the findings of the study to promote an outcome-based code compliance pathway, outcome-based building performance standards or a combination of both. The OBA Working Group aims to support CEA’s broader goal of driving meaningful, innovative policy improvements by contributing to the existing research in support of OBA and educating policy makers on why an outcome-based approach to building energy performance is crucial.

OBA Research: Study “Modeled vs. Measured Energy Use in Buildings”.

Code compliance models are not meant to predict the actual performance of buildings, but rather to compare the performance of a building design to the energy code.  As a consequence, there is a gap between code compliance models and the actual performance of buildings.  And that gap can be considerable.  In 2008 New Buildings Institute released “Energy Performance of LEED for New Construction Buildings” which found significant and highly variable gaps between energy models and actual performance.  Therefore, CEA is pursuing an initiative to incorporate actual energy outcomes into energy codes in order to ensure that the codes are delivering the performance levels expected by policy makers, addressing unregulated loads, and providing more flexibility in meeting increasingly stringent energy use requirements. As one of the first components in this effort, CEA is launching a research project that will survey California buildings, quantify the difference between modeled and actual building energy use performance, and identify the factors that drive those differences.

Working Group Members:

  • Led by Demetra Tzamaras, Center for Sustainable Energy 

  • Sean Denniston, New Building Institute (NBI)

  • Doug Avery, California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALTCP) 

  • Rebecca Baptiste, Center for Sustainable Energy (CES)

  • Jean Bonander, California Street Light Association (CAL SLA)

  • Nancy Clanton, Visibility Innovations

  • Kelly Seeger, Signify

  • Dan Suyeyasu, CodeCycle

  • Alex Baker, Illuminating Engineering Society (IES)

  • Stephen Gunther, Center for Sustainable Energy (CES)

  • Kelly Seeger, Signify

  • Dick Lord, Carrier

  • Randy Young, The Joint Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy (JCEEP)

  • Alper Erten, PAE Engineers

  • Josh Dean, CEA Executive Director

LEARN MORE: CEA’S OUTCOME-BASED APPROACH INITIATIVE

 
Josh Dean