[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74050-74051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30837]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
[Docket Number EERE-2011-BT-NOA-0064]
Measured Building Energy Performance Data Taxonomy
AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of request for information (RFI).
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks comments and
information related to a measured building energy performance data
taxonomy. DOE has created this measured building energy performance
data taxonomy as part of its DOE Buildings Performance Database
project. This information is focused on data related to the energy
performance of buildings and is not intended to be a general taxonomy
for other building information and applications (i.e., non-energy
applications such as structural analysis, space planning, et cetera).
DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before
December 30, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons may submit comments, identified by docket
number EERE-2011-BT-NOA-0064, by any of the following methods. Your
response should be in the form of either a word document, or a
compatible format. Questions relative to responding to this RFI may be
sent to the same mailbox in advance of your response, and will be
answered via email.
Email: to [email protected]. Include EERE-
2011-BT-NOA-0064 in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department of Energy,
Building Technologies Program, Mailstop EE-2J, Revisions to Energy
Efficiency Enforcement Regulations, EERE-2011-BT-NOA-0064, 1000
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585- 0121. Phone: (202) 586-
2945. Please submit one signed paper original.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Ms. Brenda Edwards, U.S. Department
of Energy, Building Technologies Program, 6th Floor, 950 L'Enfant Plaza
SW., Washington, DC 20024. Phone: (202) 586-2945. Please submit one
signed paper original.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket number.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional
information may be sent to Cody Taylor, U.S. Department of Energy,
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies
Program, EE-2J, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-
0121. Telephone: (202) 287-5842. Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) seeks comments and information
related to a measured building energy performance data taxonomy. DOE
has created this measured building energy performance data taxonomy as
part of its DOE Buildings Performance Database project. This
information is focused on data related to the energy performance of
buildings and is not intended to be a general taxonomy for other
building information and applications (i.e., non-energy applications
such as structural analysis, space planning, et cetera). A copy of the
information on which DOE seeks comment can be downloaded from this web
address: http://buildingsperformance.net/taxonomyrfi. Stakeholders
should download the taxonomy file from the provided Web site, as the
information is not duplicated in this RFI.
Detailed Description
The data taxonomy described in this RFI provides guidance on how
measured building energy performance data and building characteristics
are defined, organized and classified in the DOE Buildings Performance
Database. The full taxonomy description can be downloaded at this site:
http://buildingsperformance.net/taxonomyrfi. Please use this web
address to access and download the information on which DOE is seeking
comment.
The taxonomy was developed with several goals in mind. The taxonomy
is intended to be general and flexible enough to accommodate a wide set
of current and anticipated use cases to analyze the measured energy
performance of both commercial and residential buildings. The taxonomy
should be general enough to support use cases for multiple stakeholders
including financiers, utilities, service providers, and policy makers,
and flexible enough to accommodate use cases that have not yet been
fully specified. The taxonomy should support a wide range of existing
data sources while also anticipating future data collection efforts
that may provide more detailed datasets. The taxonomy focuses on
measured building energy performance data and related building
characteristics, and does not include modeled or derived data. Finally,
it does not include any fields for personally identifiable information
or the identity of the data source.
The taxonomy presented was developed after reviewing and
considering related efforts, such as the Industry Foundation Classes,
OmniClass systems, ASTM Building Energy Performance Assessment
checklist, and ASHRAE Audit Procedures Checklist. To date, the taxonomy
has mapped five data sources, including the Commercial Building Energy
Consumption Survey, the Residential Energy Consumption Survey,
University of Dayton, ENERGY STAR, and the General Services
Administration data. The taxonomy will continue to evolve as new data
sources are mapped.
Overview of the Taxonomy
The taxonomy consists of entities and data fields. Each entity is a
logical grouping of data fields. The entities and their inter-
relationships generally reflect the hierarchical nature of building
characteristics (site, facility, activity area, building systems). This
scheme was developed using a ``top-down'' approach, based on a logical
understanding of building performance information, and is intended to
be flexible and stable enough to accommodate a broad array of use
cases. For example, the entity ``Facility'' is used to describe the
major characteristics of a building and has data fields for gross floor
area, net floor area, number of stories, etc. There are currently
sixteen entities within the taxonomy scheme.
The data field descriptions in the taxonomy contain a list of the
data fields under each entity, along with the units of measurement and
a description of each field. The data fields were developed using a
``bottom-up'' approach, by compiling and editing lists of fields from
existing data sources and taxonomies. Certain data fields have
enumerated types that provide a discrete set of named responses
specific to the data field. An example of an enumerated type would be
for the data field ``Fuel.'' Responses include Electricity, Renewable
Electricity, Natural Gas, Fuel Oil, Fuel Oil No. 4, Solar Hot Water,
Kerosene, and Coal, among several other choices. Note that most
constrained lists include items at different levels of specificity
(e.g. Fuel Oil versus Fuel Oil No. 1), in order to accommodate a range
of data sources and use cases. Therefore, the items in a constrained
list are not mutually exclusive.
The data fields have been organized into three priority levels. The
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prioritization is based on the relative importance for analysis use
cases, as well as relative ease of obtaining data. Priority 3 data
fields connote unusual fields or those that are unique to a particular
data source. For example, within the ``Energy Use'' entity, the
Priority 1 data fields include elements such as Fuel (type), End Use
Type, and Units. The Priority 2 data fields include elements such as
Electric Utility, Electric Rate Structure, and Electricity Summer Peak
Power. The Priority 3 data fields include elements such as Bottled Gas
Amount, Amount Wood Burned, and Natural Gas Peak Power.
Issues on Which DOE Seeks Comment and Information.
DOE invites comments from respondents on all the specific elements
discussed above, as well as any additional issues the respondent deems
important. Specifically, DOE is requesting comment as to (a) The
overall taxonomy schema i.e. the entities and their relationships; (b)
definitions of the data fields contained within this taxonomy; (c) new
data fields needed to accommodate existing or anticipated future data
sources. The full taxonomy can be accessed at http://buildingsperformance.net/taxonomyrfi.
Disclaimer and Important Notes
This is an RFI issued solely for information and program planning
purposes; this RFI does not constitute a formal solicitation for
proposals or abstracts. Your response to this notice will be treated as
information only. DOE will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred
in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that DOE is under no
obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or
provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information
submitted under this RFI. Responses to this RFI do not bind DOE to any
further actions related to this topic.
Confidential Business Information
According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any person submitting information he
or she believes to be confidential and exempt by law from public
disclosure should submit via email, postal mail, or hand delivery/
courier two well-marked copies: One copy of the document marked
confidential including all the information believed to be confidential,
and one copy of the document marked non-confidential with the
information believed to be confidential deleted. Submit these documents
via email or on a CD, if feasible. DOE will make its own determination
about the confidential status of the information and treat it according
to its determination.
Factors of interest to DOE when evaluating requests to treat
submitted information as confidential include: (1) A description of the
items; (2) whether and why such items are customarily treated as
confidential within the industry; (3) whether the information is
generally known by or available from other sources; (4) whether the
information has previously been made available to others without
obligation concerning its confidentiality; (5) an explanation of the
competitive injury to the submitting person which would result from
public disclosure; (6) when such information might lose its
confidential character due to the passage of time; and (7) why
disclosure of the information would be contrary to the public interest.
It is DOE's policy that all comments may be included in the public
docket, without change and as received, including any personal
information provided in the comments (except information deemed to be
exempt from public disclosure).
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 22, 2011.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2011-30837 Filed 11-29-11; 8:45 a.m.]
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