10/30/2014
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has unveiled a new online tool, BIRDS (Building Industry Reporting and Design for Sustainability). This tool allows users to compare the sustainability performance of a building type as the energy efficiency design of that building type is increased. Built on various versions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, the tool provides sustainability performance (energy, cost, and environmental impacts) comparisons for 11 different U.S. commercial building types. BIRDS provides the framework to take an initial building design and make comparisons across different locations, energy standard editions, and/or study periods.
