Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

This report presents a comprehensive framework for achieving operational excellence in commercial buildings, shifting the focus from episodic, failure-driven operations interventions and piecemeal capital retrofits, to continuous, data-driven, systematic management practices that secure superior financial returns and long-term asset value. Reviewing over three decades of research on thousands of buildings, we evaluate the collective value of five interdependent practices: Energy Management Planning (EMP), Improved Operations and Maintenance (O&M), Energy Audits, Performance Benchmarking, and Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx). The five practice areas are not siloed; there is significant overlap among them. EMP, for example, incorporates elements of all the other practices to some degree. The synergies between the practices are discussed throughout.