Tool Measures Building Performance

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a web-based tool to help consumers better understand the energy performance of building-related products. The Energy Department’s lab created the Technology Performance Exchange (TPEx) to allow manufacturers that measure and test products to share performance data with product consumers.

The TPEx helps to reduce analysis uncertainty through the use of data entry forms (DEFs), standardized documents that identify the minimum product-specific performance parameters.

TPEx users are able to perform comparisons of products by asking manufacturers to provide performance data using DEF-defined parameters. Utilities, industry analysts and others interested in the energy performance of building products and materials will also find data provided by the TPEx useful.

Currently, the TPEx accepts data for 17 distinct product categories, ranging from solar photovoltaic modules to variable refrigerant flow units. Manufacturers with products in these categories can share their data, either manually through the TPEx user interface, or automatically, using the site’s application programming interface.