This publication offers a comprehensive outline of building energy benchmarks; what they are, how they were developed and how to use them. As well as the benchmarks themselves, it provides details of separable energy uses and includes weather and occupancy adjustments. If you want to understand the Display Energy Certificate (DEC) process better and see how ratings compare with energy benchmarks, this publication is for you.

Please also see CIBSE's Energy Benchmarking Tool, an online platform that uses energy data as it becomes available to provide relevant and reliable benchmarks that represent the current trends of energy use in buildings.

1.Introduction

2. Benchmarking approach

• 2.1  Annual consumption period
• 2.2  Separable energy uses
• 2.3  Adjustments to benchmarks
• 2.4  Mixed use buildings

3. Description of the benchmarks table

• Appendix A1: Weather adjustment
• Appendix A2: Separable energy uses
• Appendix A3: Occupancy adjustment
• Appendix A4: Notes on specific building types