Based on research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the BEA and laboratory define six methodologies for establishing city-level, voluntary, existing commercial building energy efficiency improvement targets.

These methodologies are as follows:

  1. Energy usage intensity-based target
  2. Percentage better than baseline target
  3. Better than code target
  4. Energy consumption quota system
  5. Cap and trade system
  6. Information program

Generally, a city-level, voluntary, existing commercial building energy efficiency targets program includes four phases: (i) assess, (ii) develop, (iii) implement, and (iv) improve.

Each phase contains several steps. These phases and steps constitute a basic uniform framework. While some specific differences exist for different target-setting methodologies, all methodologies have, more or less, the same basic steps in common.