CBECS Brochure

Independent Statistics & Analysis

CBECS

U.S. Energy Information
Administration

Commercial Buildings
Energy Consumption Survey

Welcome to the
Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (the independent statistical agency of the U.S.
Department of Energy) has randomly selected this building to be part of a study that provides
important energy-related information about commercial buildings throughout the United States. This
building represents many others with similar characteristics and energy use.
Your participation is very important.
CBECS is the only source of data about all commercial buildings across the country. Many different types of people use the
CBECS data, for many purposes, including:
owners and managers use it to benchmark:
▪▪Building
by comparing their building’s energy usage to similar
buildings, they can learn if there is room for improvement

forecasters use it to model: predictions of
▪▪Energy
future energy demand inform planning for companies
such as energy suppliers

of new energy technologies use it to gauge
▪▪Developers
market potential: businesses of all sizes

use the data for research and product development

of all levels use it for research: CBECS
▪▪Students
data are used in writing everything from grade-school
reports to PhD dissertations

state, and local governments use it to
▪▪Federal,
formulate energy policies: it is impossible to make
good policy without data to inform it

CBECS is mandated by Department of Energy (DOE) Organization Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-91) and has been conducted
periodically since 1979.

We look forward to working with you, and we thank you for participating in this important
national energy study
An employee from Westat, the company conducting the study on our behalf, is dedicated to helping you complete the
questionnaire. Westat is a national research company with headquarters located in Rockville, Maryland.
We encourage you to complete the questionnaire online. It is user-friendly and you can complete it at your own
convenience. If you need any assistance or prefer to complete the questionnaire in-person, please contact the Westat
interviewer who delivered this package. You may also call the CBECS toll-free number [555-555-5555.]
Complete the interview online at [URL]. You will need a PIN to start the interview.

Percent of Total Commercial Building Energy Use by Source

61%
Electricity

32%
Natural Gas

Source: 2012 CBECS

5%
District Steam
& Hot Water

2%
Fuel oil

CBECS Supporters
The following organizations recognize that the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)
provides critically important information for understanding energy use in commercial buildings in the United
States. These organizations strongly encourage participation in the 2018 CBECS.
American Council for an EnergyEfficient Economy (ACEEE)
Green Building Initiative (GBI)
National Institute of Building
Sciences (NIBS)
The American Institute of
Architects (AIA)

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Total Annual Energy Use per Square Foot by Building Activity (thousand Btu)

282.7

Food Service
231.1

Inpatient Health Care

209.5

Food Sales
142.9

Other
109.3

Enclosed and Strip Malls
Lodging

96.9

Outpatient Health Care

94.8
92.2

Public Order and Safety

86.3

Public Assembly
Average for All Commercial Bldgs

80.0

Office

77.8

Education

68.8

Retail (Other than Mall)

66.9
58.7

Service
38.0

Religious Worship

32.8

Warehouse and Storage
Vacant

Source: 2012 CBECS

12.7

CBECS Questionnaire Items
Here are some topics that we will ask about your building that might require some research.
If you can, please gather this information before the survey, as it will make the interview easier and quicker.

Please note that we are only interested in the building described by the interviewer and only what was used in calendar
year 2018. Please consider the entire building, including all businesses and tenants. Not all items may be relevant for your
building. If an item is not relevant, we will not ask about it.

…… Gross/total square footage of building

…… Type(s) of air conditioning (A/C) equipment (packaged

…… Year of construction
…… Number of businesses or organizations that use space
full-time in the building

unit, central chiller or district chilled water distribution
system, heat pump, residential-type central A/C,
individual A/C, swamp cooler or evaporative
cooler, other)

…… Type and square footage of various food preparation

…… Number of employees (main shift, when most

or food service areas

are present in the building)

…… Quantities of computing equipment (desktop

…… Energy source(s) used during 2018:

computers, laptops, tablets charged in building,
servers) and other miscellaneous equipment
(refrigerators, cash registers, TVs, medical
equipment, etc.)

…… Electricity
…… Natural gas
…… Fuel oil/diesel/kerosene
…… District steam/hot water
…… District chilled water
…… Propane, Wood, Coal, or Solar

…… Lighting types (fluorescent, compact fluorescent,
incandescent, halogen, high-intensity discharge
or HID, light emitting diode or LED, other)

…… Uses of each energy source: heating, air conditioning,
water heating, cooking,
on-site electricity generation

…… Amount and cost of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil/
diesel/kerosene, and/or district steam/hot water used
during 2018

…… Type(s) of heating equipment (packaged unit, boiler
or district steam/hot water distribution system, heat
pump, residential-type furnace, individual space heater,
duct reheat, other)

…… Energy suppliers and account numbers for each
of the above energy sources used during 2018

Percent of Total Commercial Building Energy Use by End Use

25% 13% 10% 10%
Space
Heating

Other

Lighting

Refrigeration

10%

Ventilation

9%

Cooling

7%

Cooking

Source: 2012 CBECS

7%

Water
Heating

6%

Computing

3%

Office
Equipment

Frequently Asked Questions
about the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)
What is this study about?

What information will I be asked to provide?

CBECS collects information about the energy-related
characteristics of commercial buildings in the United States
and measures how much electricity, natural gas, fuel oil,
and/or district heat is used within them.

You will be asked to provide information about some
general structural characteristics of the building, ownership
and occupancy, energy sources and uses, energy-related
equipment, and the amount of energy used in the
building. You can find a more detailed list of CBECS
Questionnaire Items inside this document.

Is my building really “commercial”?
In the CBECS, “commercial” refers to all buildings in which
at least half of the floorspace is used for a purpose that
is not residential, industrial, or agricultural. This definition
includes building types that might not traditionally be
considered “commercial,” such as schools, correctional
institutions, and buildings used for religious worship,
as well as obvious commercial uses such as retail stores
and offices.

How long will the questionnaire take?
The burden to complete this form is 50 minutes.

How do I know this study is legitimate?
All federal government data collections are required to be
reviewed by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget
(OMB). The OMB number for the 2018 CBECS is OMB No.
1905-0145. You may contact the EIA CBECS Manager,
Joelle Michaels, at 202-586-8952.

Why us? Why not some other building?
Your building was statistically selected to represent many
others around the country that are similar in energy use.
For the results to be valid, another building cannot be
substituted for yours.

Am I required to participate?
The CBECS is voluntary. Your support will contribute
greatly to the accuracy of the study’s results and you are
encouraged to respond.

What are the benefits of participating?
Data collected from the CBECS allows people in
commercial buildings to see how much energy similar
buildings use across the country. By participating, you can
help both your building and millions of other building
owners and tenants become more energy efficient. Energy
costs can be a large part of operating expenses for a
business, and any money saved on energy can be spent on
something else.

Will the name, location, and other information
about the identity of our building remain
confidential?
Yes. The information you provide will be used for statistical
purposes only and is confidential by law. In accordance
with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical
Efficiency Act of 2002 and other applicable Federal laws,
your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form
without your consent. Per the Federal Cybersecurity
Enhancement Act of 2015, Federal information systems are
protected from malicious activities through cybersecurity
screening of transmitted data. Every EIA employee, as well
as every agent, is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both if he
or she publicly discloses any identifiable information that
you report.

Is the study website secure?
Yes. Westat operates a computer facility dedicated to
confidentiality and data protection. Your data will be
encrypted and transmitted to and from Westat web servers
through the use of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.
This proven security protocol is widely used to support
e-commerce transactions, server account authentication,
and data encryption.

Where can I find more information about
the CBECS?
You can learn more about EIA and the CBECS at
www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial.

Let us know if you have any questions:
If you have any questions, please call:
Cindy Good, CBECS Director of Study Operations
at Westat, at 1-800-937-8281, or email her at
[email protected].
To speak directly with someone at the U.S. Department
of Energy, please call:
Joelle Michaels, CBECS Manager,
at 202-586-8952 or email her at [email protected].