ASHRAE announced the introduction of its building energy labelling program to change the “face” of building energy use with the release of a prototype label at its 2009 Annual Conference in Louisville, Ky. ASHRAE is working with major real estate developers to implement the label prototype this fall with a widespread launch of the full program in 2010.

“As the United States looks to reduce its energy use, information is the critical first step in making the necessary choices and changes,” Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president, said. “With labelling mandatory in Europe and disclosure of a building’s energy performance becoming required by several states, now is the time to introduce a label that can serve as a model for mandatory programs.”

The asset rating provides an assessment of the building based on the components specified in the design and would be based on the results of a building energy model. The operational rating provides information on the actual energy use and is based on a combination of the structure of the building and how it is operated.