The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office (BTO) envisions a future in which buildings operate dynamically with the grid to make electricity more affordable and integrate distributed energy resources while meeting the needs of building occupants.

These definitions are for the purposes of the Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings Technical Report Series. They may be defined differently or more generally in other contexts. Grid servicesServices that support the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity and provide value through avoided electricity system costs (generation and/or delivery costs); this report focuses on grid services that can be provided by grid-interactive efficient buildings. Distributed energy resource (DER)A resource sited close to customers that can provide all or some of their immediate power needs and/or can be used by the utility system to either reduce demand or provide supply to satisfy the energy, capacity, or ancillary service needs of the grid. Load profileA building's load profile describes when-time of day or hour of the year-the building is consuming energy (typically used to refer to electricity consumption but can also describe on-site fuel use); load shape and load curve are often used interchangeably, but all refer to the timing of energy use. Energy efficiencyOngoing reduction in energy use to provide the same or improved level of function. Demand flexibilityCapability of DERs to adjust a building's load profile across different timescales; energy flexibility and load flexibility are often used interchangeably with demand flexibility. Demand responseChange in the rate of electricity consumption in response to price signals or specific requests of a grid operator. Demand-side managementThe modification of energy demand by customers through strategies, including energy efficiency, demand response, distributed generation, energy storage, electric vehicles, and/or time-of-use pricing structures. Grid-interactive efficient building (GEB)An energy-efficient building that uses smart technologies and on-site DERs to provide demand flexibility while co-optimizing for energy cost, grid services, and occupant needs and preferences, in a continuous and integrated way. Smart technologies for energy managementAdvanced controls, sensors, models, and analytics used to manage DERs.GEBs are characterized by their use of these technologies.

Sensors, actuators, and controllers, which collectively serve as the backbone of cyberphysical systems for building energy management, are one of the core technical areas of investment for achieving the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office's (BTO's) goals for energy affordability in the national building stock-both commercial and residential. In fact, an aggregated annual energy savings of 29% is estimated in the commercial sector alone through the implementation of efficiency measures using current state-of-the-art sensors and controls to retune buildings by optimizing programmable settings based on occupant schedules and comfort requirements, as well as detecting and diagnosing equipment operation and installation problems (Fernandez et al. 2017).

Objective: Ensure that GEB technology, building performance, and customer cost-benefit data are easily accessible, and improve and standardize analytical methods.GEB field performance assessments and metrics are needed to enable grid operators to trust the ability of demand flexibility to reliably deliver grid services. This includes developing and evaluating the use of standard baseline M&V methods to measure demand flexibility, as well as and collecting field data on demand flexibility building performance. Also, building owners and operators are unwilling to invest in technology without a clear value proposition based on proven technology benefits. Demand flexibility benchmark data sets, load shapes, and metrics are needed across all building sectors to provide relevant, comprehensive data for GEB technology performance evaluation. To draw meaningful conclusions from the data that can be relied upon by grid operators, utilities, and customers, there is a need for statistically significant data sets at scale and across different dimensions of building type and time (e.g., hourly, daily, annually). Key implementation challenges include managing privacy and cybersecurity with widespread data accessibility.Users may have privacy or security concerns related to the transmission and storage of whole-building and specific end-use equipment and system data. Utilities, aggregators, technology providers, and DER service providers may also worry about liability related to sharing customer data.Additionally, providing granular data would require robust data storage systems. Technology providers must carefully balance these concerns with the need to provide easy access to data for customers, grid operators, aggregators, and performance evaluators. A challenge specifically related to analytical methods is establishing appropriate baselines, particularly with multiple programs and rate designs, and when demand flexibility is used routinely. Key ActionsDevelop standard metrics and methods for data collection, data analysis, and measurement and verification (M&V) of demand flexibility technologies and strategies. M&V methods for EE and DR have been developed for many years and are evolving toward increased use of automation and hourly meter data (e.g., "advanced M&V" or "M&V 2.0" with and without control groups). Similarly, hourly data, and in some cases sub-hourly data, and advanced telemetry are needed for demand flexibility market settlement. These metrics along with new and scalable evaluation methods must also be developed for the full complement of grid services that buildings can provide. Simplified approaches are needed for demand flexibility performance assessments at the whole building and system/equipment level and for multiple demand flexibility modes (e.g., shed and shift in combination). landmark    Expand EE benchmark dataset and benchmarking tools to incorporate demand flexibility. There is a long practice of collecting total energy use normalized by floor area to compare the energy performance of buildings...

These definitions are for the purposes of the Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings Technical Report Series. They may be defined differently or more generally in other contexts. Grid services Services that support the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity and provide value through avoided electricity system costs (generation and/or delivery costs); this report focuses on grid services that can be provided by grid-interactive efficient buildings. Distributed energy resource (DER) A resource sited close to customers that can provide all or some of their immediate power needs and/or can be used by the utility system to either reduce demand or provide supply to satisfy the energy, capacity, or ancillary service needs of the grid. Load profile A building's load profile describes when-time of day or hour of the year-the building is consuming energy (typically used to refer to electricity consumption but can also describe on-site fuel use); load shape and load curve are often used interchangeably, but all refer to the timing of energy use. Energy efficiency Ongoing reduction in energy use to provide the same or improved level of function. Demand flexibility Capability of DERs to adjust a building's load profile across different timescales; energy flexibility and load flexibility are often used interchangeably with demand flexibility. Demand response Change in the rate of electricity consumption in response to price signals or specific requests of a grid operator. Demand-side management The modification of energy demand by customers through strategies, including energy efficiency, demand response, distributed generation, energy storage, electric vehicles, and/or time-of-use pricing structures. Grid-interactive efficient building (GEB) An energy-efficient building that uses smart technologies and on-site DERs to provide demand flexibility while co-optimizing for energy cost, grid services, and occupant needs and preferences, in a continuous and integrated way. Smart technologies for energy management Advanced controls, sensors, models, and analytics used to manage DERs. GEBs are characterized by their use of these technologies.