Laboratory performance - Metrics for energy efficiency

Laboratory owners have explicit goals for energy efficiency in their facilities. For example, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) requires all new federal buildings to exceed ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, by at least 30%. A new laboratory is more likely to meet energy-efficiency goals if quantitative metrics and targets are specified in programming documents and then tracked during the course of the delivery process. If not, any additional capital costs or design time associated with attaining higher efficiencies can be difficult to justify.