ASTM_E_2797_-_15.pdf

Designation:E279715Standard Practice forBuilding Energy Performance Assessment for a BuildingInvolved in a Real Estate Transaction1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E2797;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 PurposeThe purpose of this standard is to define acommercially useful practice in the United States of Americafor conducting a building energy performance assessment(BEPA)on a building involved in a commercial real estatetransaction and subsequent reporting of the building energyperformance information.The practice is intended to provide amethodology to the user for the collection,compilation,analysis,and reporting of building energy performance infor-mation associated with a commercial building.The practicemay be used independently or as a voluntary supplement toGuide E2018 for property condition assessments or PracticeE1527 for Phase I environmental site assessments.Utilizationof this practice and performance of a BEPA is voluntary.If theproperty owner(e.g.,the seller)is unwilling or unable toprovide building energy use and cost information,a BEPAcannot be performed.1.2 Building Energy PerformanceThis practice definesbuilding energy performance as the buildings total annualenergy use and cost for heating,cooling,electricity,and otherrelated uses.Energy use,for example,includes total electricitypurchased;purchased or delivered steam,hot water,or chilledwater;natural gas;fuel oil;coal;propane;biomass;or anyother matter consumed as fuel and any electricity generated onsite from renewable/alternative energy systems(for example,wind energy generator technology,fuel cells,microturbines orsolar photovoltaic systems).1.3 ObjectivesObjectives in the development of this prac-tice are to:(1)define a commercially useful practice forcollecting,compiling,and analyzing building energy perfor-mance information associated with a building involved in acommercial real estate transaction;(2)facilitate consistency inthe collection,compilation,analysis,and reporting of buildingenergy performance information as may be required underbuilding benchmarking,labeling,disclosure,or mandatoryauditing regulations;(3)supplement as needed a propertycondition assessment conducted in accordance with GuideE2018 or an environmental site assessment conducted inaccordance with Practice E1527;(4)provide that the processfor building energy performance data collection,compilation,analysis,and reporting is consistent,transparent,practical andreasonable;and(5)provide an industry standard for theconduct of a BEPA on a building involved in a commercial realestate transaction,subject to existing statutes and regulationswhich may differ in terms of scope and practice.1.4 DocumentationThe scope of this practice includesdata collection,compilation and reporting requirements.Docu-mentation of all sources,records,and resources relied upon inthe investigation is provided in the report.1.5 Considerations Outside the ScopeThe use of thispractice is limited to the collection,compilation,and analysisof building energy performance information as defined by thispractice.While this information may be used to facilitatebuilding benchmarking,labeling,rating or ranking,reportingof building energy performance information between a sellerand a buyer or a landlord and a tenant on a voluntary basis oras may be required by building benchmarking,labeling,disclosure or mandatory auditing regulations applicable to thebuilding,or any other use,such use is beyond the scope of thispractice.1.6 Organization of This PracticeThis practice has 13sections and 11 appendices.The appendices are included forinformational purposes only and are not part of the proceduresprescribed in this practice.Section 1Describes the scope of the practice.Section 2Identifies referenced documents.Section 3Provides terminology pertinent to the practice.Section 4Discusses the significance and use of the practice.Section 5Discusses the relationship between this practice andASTM E2018 or ASTM E1527.Section 6Describes the users responsibilities under this practice.Section 7Describes the BEPA process.Section 8Describes the site visit and walk-through.Section 9Discusses interviews with owner,operator,or key sitemanager.Section 10Describes records collection for the BEPA process.Section 11Provides the records analysis methodology for buildingenergy use data.1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E50 on Environ-mental Assessment,Risk Management and Corrective Action and is the directresponsibility of Subcommittee E50.02 on Real Estate Assessment and Manage-ment.Current edition approved Oct.1,2015.Published December 2015.Originallyapproved in 2011.Last previous edition approved in 2011 as E279711.DOI:10.1520/E