New BOMA BEST questions

Due to COVID-19, buildings have experienced reduced occupant density and hours of operation as a result of public health and workplace safety measures. These changes have had a significant impact on energy and water consumption trends. Starting on June 15, 2021, new questions will be added to the office building questionnaire to better understand the impacts of COVID-19 on energy and water consumption.

Recognizing the importance of ongoing benchmarking and the need for updated data, a new approach will be used moving forward. The majority of the 90 points assigned to energy performance and the 15 points assigned to water performance will be redistributed in a new section titled Pandemic Response.

They touch upon the following: 

• Energy/water consumption before COVID-19
• Energy/water consumption during/after COVID-19
• Changes to occupant density and hours of operations due to COVID-19
• Modifications made to various operational processes (HVAC, lighting schedules, etc.) due to COVID-19
• Installation of new technologies and projects due to COVID-19

Download the complete list of changes.

Free training session

Applicants interested in learning more are invited to register for a training session on Wednesday, May 26, 1-2 p.m. EST. It will be recorded and available on the BOMA BEST website. REGISTER HERE.

What is the impact on scoring? 

Previously, up to 105 points (approximately 10% of the total score) were assigned to buildings based on their level of energy and water performance compared to the BOMA BEST scoring scale. Only high performing buildings could achieve the maximum number of points. Moving forward, these points will be distributed based on answers to qualitative questions. This means all buildings, regardless of performance level, can now potentially achieve full points. Therefore, the impact on low- and mid-performing buildings is more substantial than the impact on high performing buildings. While it is very likely that building scores may increase as a result of this change, our analysis shows that few buildings will see a score reduction.

What’s next?

It is likely that these changes will be in place for a minimum of 12 months, perhaps up to 24 months. Once  a significant amount of data has been collected, BOMA Canada will analyze the responses to better understand how COVID-19 impacted office building operations and consumption patterns. They will share these insights with the industry to inform operational and benchmarking best practices moving forward.