CEA Benchmarking & Energy Star Certification 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which metric does ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager use to normalize energy consumption for weather in commercial buildings?
- Heating Degree Days (HDD) and Cooling Degree Days (CDD) (Correct answer)
- Annual solar radiation index
- Wet-bulb temperature averages
- Dew point deviation factor
Correct answer: Heating Degree Days (HDD) and Cooling Degree Days (CDD)
Portfolio Manager uses HDD and CDD to weather-normalize energy consumption, enabling fair comparisons across different climates.
Question 2: An office building scores 74 on the ENERGY STAR 1–100 scale. What does this indicate?
- It performs better than 74% of similar buildings nationally (Correct answer)
- It uses 74% less energy than average
- It fails ENERGY STAR certification by 1 point
- It has a 74% renewable energy mix
Correct answer: It performs better than 74% of similar buildings nationally
A score of 74 means the building outperforms 74% of similar U.S. buildings in energy efficiency.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of 'source energy' normalization in Portfolio Manager benchmarking?
- To account for transmission and generation losses and compare fuels on equal footing (Correct answer)
- To convert all energy to dollar costs for financial comparison
- To measure only on-site renewable energy generation
- To exclude purchased electricity from the total energy footprint
Correct answer: To account for transmission and generation losses and compare fuels on equal footing
Source energy includes all upstream losses so different fuel types (electricity vs. natural gas) can be compared equitably.
Question 4: Which building type requires 'weekly operating hours' as a use detail input in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager?
- Office buildings (Correct answer)
- K–12 schools
- Hospitals
- Data centers
Correct answer: Office buildings
Office buildings require weekly operating hours as a key use detail because occupancy schedules directly affect their energy benchmark score.
Question 5: A certified ENERGY STAR building must re-certify annually. What must be verified each year?
- A licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect must verify the data (Correct answer)
- The building must install new high-efficiency equipment
- Utility bills must show a 5% reduction from the prior year
- The EPA must conduct an on-site energy audit
Correct answer: A licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect must verify the data
Annual recertification requires a PE or RA stamp verifying that the energy and property data entered in Portfolio Manager are accurate.
Question 6: In Portfolio Manager, what does the term 'gross floor area' exclude when calculating energy use intensity (EUI)?
- Parking garages that are not conditioned (Correct answer)
- Conference rooms used less than 40 hours per week
- Stairwells and elevator shafts
- Mechanical penthouses
Correct answer: Parking garages that are not conditioned
Unconditioned parking structures are excluded from gross floor area in EUI calculations because they are not climate-controlled spaces.
Question 7: Which federal executive order mandated that federal agencies benchmark their buildings in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager?
- Executive Order 13693 (Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade) (Correct answer)
- Executive Order 12088 (Federal Compliance with Pollution Control Standards)
- Executive Order 13514 (Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance)
- Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management)
Correct answer: Executive Order 13693 (Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade)
EO 13693, signed in 2015, required federal agencies to use Portfolio Manager to benchmark and track energy performance in their building portfolios.
CEA Benchmarking & Energy Star Certification 2
Which metric does ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager use to normalize energy consumption for weather in commercial buildings?