AIA Releases 2030 Energy Performance Reporting Tool

At its annual convention in June 2010, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) released a reporting tool for firms participating in its “2030 Commitment.” Over 100 firms have now signed on to the commitment, which is a more pragmatic, step-by-step move toward the goals of Architecture 2030’s “2030 Challenge” to eliminate fossil-fuel use in all new buildings by 2030.

Firms that participate in the 2030 Commitment are supposed to have energy models for all projects they are designing, and to report on how that predicted performance compares to the 2030 Challenge goals. The newly released reporting tool supports that process. It consists of an Excel workbook in which firms list all the projects they’re working on. They also provide the square footage and predicted energy use intensity for those projects. The Excel file looks up the corresponding 2030 Challenge target and shows how the project’s energy compares to this target. It also includes features that make it usable even for tenant fit-outs and other projects where predicted energy use numbers are not available.

Rand Ekman, AIA of Cannon Design helped develop the tool, with the goal of standardizing similar efforts that were emerging within many different firms. “We found that firms that track the projects do it in Excel. We’re making it easier for them,” said Ekman.