ENERGY STAR for Industry Certification in North America

The Department of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has a requirement to develop new industry-specific, plant-level energy benchmarking tools as well as refine and update existing energy benchmarking tools that are essential to the ENERGY STAR for Industry certification program.

NRCan and the U.S. EPA are working collaboratively to develop and update these industrial energy benchmarking tools in order to align the ENERGY STAR for Industry certification program seamlessly across the U.S. and Canada.

These models use confidential industrial energy use and production data and access to this data is carefully controlled and provided on a limited basis; for example, the U.S. data is only available through the Center for Economic Studies of the U.S. Census Bureau, and is only provided to researchers who have secured several lengthy approvals for access. Therefore, having access to confidential data and the ability to protect it is essential. In both countries, data is organized using the same North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to define industry.

NRCan intends to contract with an external supplier that has experience with industrial energy use to provide confidential data collection and statistical modelling services.

The work will involve the following tasks and deliverables:

Tasks

For each project deliverable, the tasks are as follows:

1. Collect and harmonize data
2. Prepare draft Energy Performance Indicators
3. Test and revise Energy Performance Indicators
4. Finalize Energy Performance Indicators

Deliverables

The project deliverables are as follows:

1. Refine and update existing energy benchmarks
2. Develop new industry-specific, plant-level benchmarks