EUI Introduction Page and Notice

Standard Benchmark Energy Utilization Index

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and several of its national laboratories have developed a series of benchmark models based on 16 different commercial building types (prototypical standard buildings). Commercial building models are available for both new construction as well as existing buildings. The existing building models are separated into pre-1980 construction and post-1980 construction. The Energy Use Intensities (EUIs) in annual energy use per square foot (kBtu/ft²/yr) for the new construction buildings in sixteen climate zone cities are shown in the table below.

These benchmarks are not intended to represent the existing stock of commercial buildings in any geographic area or climate zone. They are not intended to be targets to rate the energy performance of single existing or proposed buildings. The primary purpose of these benchmarks is to establish a quantitative definition of Standard 90.1 at a particular time in its development and to provide a reference from which future versions of the same standard are compared. These model files (version 1.2-4.0, updated October 31, 2009) comply with Standard 90.1-2004. These benchmark buildings provide consistency in modeling approaches and implementation across the commercial building sector.

All of the actual benchmark files for each of these building types can be viewed at the DOE, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Building Technologies Program Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building Initiative web page for Commercial Building Benchmark Models: http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/commercial-reference-buildings

DOE Commercial Building Benchmarks – New Construction
Energy Use Intensities (EUIs) [kBtu/ft²/yr]
October 2009

City	Miami	Houston	Phoenix	Atlanta	Los Angeles	Las Vegas	San Francisco	Baltimore	Albuquerque	Seattle	Chicago	Denver	Minneapolis	Helena	Duluth	Fairbanks	Benchmark Weighted Avg
Climate Zone	1A	2A	2b	3A	3B	3B	3C	4A	4B	4C	5A	5B	6A	6B	7	8
Large Office	38	40	38	38	32	34	35	40	34	37	43	36	46	40	47	39	39
Medium Office	39	42	40	41	33	37	38	45	38	42	48	41	54	48	57	77	43
Small Office	44	44	43	41	33	39	35	46	41	42	51	45	57	51	61	83	45
Warehouse	30	19	19	18	14	18	15	21	20	18	24	23	29	27	33	52	21
Stand-alone Retail	62	63	60	61	44	56	50	72	61	65	81	69	93	83	104	145	69
Strip Mall	56	58	57	62	44	57	53	74	64	69	85	72	99	89	111	156	70
Primary School	57	57	55	55	46	52	51	61	54	54	65	58	75	66	79	113	60
Secondary School	56	57	55	57	42	54	50	68	58	61	76	64	89	77	97	141	66
Supermarket	158	167	159	170	153	158	166	184	168	181	195	179	208	197	223	266	179
Quick Service Restaurant	535	549	538	561	496	541	524	609	567	575	657	604	713	663	765	949	596
Full Service Restaurant	404	423	409	440	374	418	415	488	447	467	527	481	570	532	617	763	471
Hospital	145	147	138	142	137	135	142	148	127	139	148	130	153	137	155	185	145
Outpatient Facility	280	279	278	274	254	277	241	278	274	247	271	271	280	275	279	324	273
Small Hotel	71	71	69	71	62	68	64	75	70	69	80	74	87	80	92	112	73
Large Hotel	99	108	100	116	105	105	113	127	119	124	138	131	150	144	163	196	122
Mid-Rise Apartment	39	39	38	38	31	36	33	42	37	38	47	41	54	48	59	76	n/a