Investor Ready Energy Efficiency™

Investor Ready Energy Efficiency™ refers to and provides information about energy efficiency retrofit projects that conform to the requirements of the ICP Protocols, have been reviewed by ICP Quality Assurance Assessors, and have received Investor Ready Energy Efficiency™ (IREE) certification.  

In order to be IREE certified, project developers must first select the appropriate protocol for their project and then follow all the procedural and documentation requirements associated with each stage of the ICP Protocols (baselining energy usage; savings calculations; design, construction, and verification; operations, monitoring and maintenance; and measurement and verification). Details of all requirements are specified in the ICP Protocols with additional details, instruction, and resources provided in the ICP Project Development Specification.

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ICP Protocols

The core of the ICP methodology are the ICP Protocols that define a standardized road map of best practices for originating energy retrofits.  The ICP Protocols leverage existing and commonly accepted standards such as ASTM-BEPA, ASHRAE Guideline 14, and EVO-IPMVP in conjunction with ICP specified elements, procedures, and documentation based on the various stages of a project life-cycle to create standardized projects with reliable returns.

There are six protocols which cover the majority of commercial energy efficiency projects.  Protocol selection is based on building type (Commercial and Multifamily) and on project size and complexity including Targeted, Standard, and Large - spanning single measures to whole building deep retrofit. Click the links below to visit each protocol and the image on the right for an overview of the primary standards being leveraged.

Large Commercial

• Whole building
  
• > $1M project costs
  
• Savings > 15% energy 
  

Large Multifamily

• Whole building
  
• > $1M project costs
  
• Savings > 15% energy 
  

Standard Commercial

• Whole building
  
• < $1M project costs

Standard Multifamily

• Whole building
  
• < $1M project costs

Targeted Commercial

• One or a few ECMs
  
• Limited interactivity
  
• < $1M project cost
  

Targeted Multifamily

• One or a few ECMs
  
• Limited interactivity
  
• < $1M project cost

click to enlarge

Project Development Specification

The ICP Project Development Specification (PD Spec) brings the many complex details of an energy efficiency project into focus, providing a clear direction to the entire team with regards to requirements, tools, expectations, and quality management. The Project Development Specification provides a clear roadmap for Project Developers to correctly implement each requirement based on current best practices and available resources.  

Use of the Project Development Specification is easy.  It is linked to all of the ICP Protocols to directs users to the relevant section of the Specification and explain exactly what is required. When preparing a project using the protocols as your guide, developers can easily jump from whatever protocol you are using directly to the appropriate section of the PD Spec to find out in detail what is required.

The ICP System

The ICP System combines the use of the ICP Protocols, existing industry certifications, and third party verification to create Investor Ready Energy Efficiency™ (IREE) projects that provide investors,building owners, and all project stakeholders with a new level of confidence in project engineering, predicted energy savings, and associated financial returns.  IREE projects are akin to audited financials and other industry workflows that have paved the way towards securitization and classification by ratings agencies.

Quality Assurance Assessors

ICP Quality Assurance (QA) Assessors are an integral part of the creation of IREE projects and the associated increase in confidence by all project stakeholders.  A key requirement for certification is that IREE projects must be reviewed by ICP QA Assessors.  ICP QA Assessors must be trained on every requirement of IREE certification, possess industry credentials and extensive experience, and be independent to the transaction.  These requirements ensure that projects are objectively verified to conform to the ICP Protocols and therefore can be depended meet ICP's project quality standards. 

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IREE Certification by GBCI

The last step in the process is to submit successfully reviewed projects to GBCI for certification.  The first step is to submit the project in the ICP IREE Project registration form.  GBCI will process the project which might be subject to additional project quality control processes prior to certification.  Upon certification, GBCI will issue ICP IREE Certification brand fulfillment to the project team.

Investor Network

The ICP Investor Network is comprised of energy efficiency investors who recognize the value of standardized Investor Ready Energy Efficiency™ (IREE) projects.  Members of the program recommend the use of the ICP Protocols and IREE Certification as best practices when developing energy efficiency projects as projects. 

​ICP recommends that project developers, building owners, and others seeking project financing contact members of the listed ICP Investor Network who are currently seeking IREE and other high-quality projects to invest in.  If you would like more information about this program, facilitated introductions, or guidance in connecting with Investor Network members please contact us. 

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