DOE launches new data collaborative to help cities and states boost building efficiency

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) -- along with the the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), the National League of Cities (NLC), and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) -- launched the SEED Collaborative, an effort to assist state and local governments manage, standardize, and share large building performance data sets.

This collaboration builds on DOE’s software application called the Standard Energy Efficiency Data (SEED) Platform. This tool allows cities and states to streamline the process of managing and standardizing building energy data.

“There is an unprecedented amount of new data as cities and states, across the country, help building owners better understand opportunities for energy savings,” said Dr. Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency at DOE. "The SEED Collaborative will help cities and states leverage this data to unlock barriers and unleash innovative market solutions that will save energy and money, and grow businesses in their communities."

The SEED Collaborative will partner with a select group of cities and states to help them better collect and manage building energy data. This partnership builds upon the success of early adopters, such as Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, which piloted the SEED Platform in 2014.

The SEED Collaborative will also strive to create a larger community of supporting organizations, software developers, and product and services companies to expand interoperability of SEED-based products and other applications.