Building Performance Services: Engaging the Market to Encourage Better Commercial Building Operating Performance

Mark Tuffo, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Harold (Skip) Schick, Schick Consulting
Jim Volkman, Efficient Concepts

Keywords

Abstract

The concept for the Building Performance Services (BPS) initiative originated from market research conducted by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance to assess current business practices, market barriers and opportunities to improve commercial building operating performance. The long-term goal for the BPS initiative is to develop a market structure that successfully promotes and supports the enhanced operating performance of building HVAC systems. In the near and intermediate terms, key activities that support this long-term goal include infrastructure development, a BPS test and a larger scale pilot with identified regional sponsors. For the Alliance’s BPS test, sponsors are the Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc. and three Puget Sound area utilities – Puget Sound Energy, Seattle City Light and Snohomish County PUD. All BPS activities are conducted as a partnership between these sponsors and service providers, building on current relationships and what has been accomplished in the market.

BPS is positioned to work within the existing market structure to improve building HVAC performance as a viable business opportunity for service providers. This paper describes BPS in greater detail, emphasizing the features that set BPS apart from other efforts to encourage better building operating performance. BPS focuses on working with service providers who building managers and operators rely upon for support. The BPS approach identifies viable market-based services, including Enhanced O&M Practices, Energy Tune-Up and Commissioning. This paper describes results of the BPS test to-date, including customer and service provider reactions to the services delivered, and adjustments made to the BPS approach.