Investor Confidence Project for Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge

The Environmental Defense Fund’s Investor Confidence Project (ICP) is working to enable a viable market for Investor Ready Energy EfficiencyTM projects by reducing transaction costs, streamlining origination, and increasing the reliability of projected energy savings. The ICP System is comprised of the ICP Energy Performance Protocols, the ICP Credentialing System, and supporting tools.  A brief description of these follows.

ENERGY PERFORMANCE PROTOCOLS

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

There are 6 protocols which cover the majority of commercial energy efficiency projects.  Protocol selection is based building type (Commercial and Multifamily) on project size (Targeted, Standard, and Large).

Large Commercial

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

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Standard Commercial

• Whole building
  
  
• < $1M project costs

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Targeted Commercial

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

Large Multifamily

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

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Standard Multifamily

• Whole building
  
  
• < $1M project costs

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Targeted Multifamily

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

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PROJECT DEVELOPMENT SPECIFICATION

The ICP Project Development Specification (PDS) 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.  

Using the Project Development Specification is designed to be easy (see quick blog).  It is linked to all of the ICP Protocols and directs users to the relevant section of the Specification to 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.

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CREDENTIAL SYSTEM

The ICP Credential 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 and building owners with a new level of confidence in project engineering, performance and returns.  IREE projects are akin to audited financials and other industry workflows that have paved the way towards securitization and classification by ratings agencies. 

The system is comprised of four provider credentials and the Investor Ready Energy Efficiency™ project designation.  The system workflow  leverages credentialed Project Developers who originate projects and proposals, credentialed Software Provider applications that can automate the process (optional), and credentialed Quality Assurance Provider who will do a third party review utilizing ICP’s QA resources.  Conforming projects will then receive the Investor Ready Energy Efficiency™ designation.  

The result of the ICP Credentialing System are Investor Ready Energy EfficiencyTM projects.  Investors and decision makers of all types, especially building owners, can be confident that these projects will be engineered, installed, operated and measured using consistent industry standards in order to deliver predictable returns.

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Much more information can be found by exploring this website.  Please contact us with any questions, comments, or suggestions.  We are also happy to provide more information via phone calls or virtual presentations.