Energy and Atmosphere (21 Questions) – Above Green

A. Building loads

Building components (e.g., building orientation; glazing selection; climate appropriate building materials; regional considerations)
Space usage (e.g., space types [private office, individual space, shared multi-occupant spaces]; equipment and systems; occupant-driven loads [plug loads])

B. Energy efficiency

Operational energy efficiency (e.g., schedules; set points; interactions between systems; influencing occupant behavior)
Commissioning (e.g., commissioning authority (CxA); existing building commissioning; ongoing commissioning; identification of issues; differentiate from energy auditing)
Audit (e.g., ASHRAE Level 1 and 2; identification of opportunities and improvements; differentiate from commissioning)

C. Alternative and renewable energy practices

Renewable energy (e.g., on-site and off-site renewable energy; photovoltaic; solar thermal; wind; lowimpact hydroelectricity; wave and tidal energy; non-qualifying sources)
Green power and carbon offsets (e.g., off-site generated; renewable energy certificates (RECs); Green-e Energy certified or the equivalent; benefits of RECs; measurement [carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e)]; Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions; Green-e Climate certified or the equivalent; benefits of carbon offsets)

D. Demand response (e.g., grid efficiency and reliability; demand response programs; load shifting)

E. Energy performance management:

Energy use measurement (e.g., building-level energy meter(s); submeters; types of energy sources to measure; data management and analysis)
Building automation controls/advanced energy metering (e.g., support energy management; data storage; support demand response participation)
Operations and management (e.g., training of staff; operations and maintenance plan; current facilities requirements; preventive maintenance plan)
Benchmarking (e.g., metrics used; determining baseline building performance; comparing building energy performance against similar buildings or historical data; tools and standards [ASHRAE, CBECS, Energy Star® Portfolio Manager])

F. Environmental concerns: upstream and downstream impacts (e.g., sources and energy resources [oil, coal, and natural gas]; renewable and nonrenewable resources; chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other refrigerants; stratospheric ozone layer depletion)