“HPXML is very important for the home performance industry because it will reduce the time and cost associated with communication of information,” said Larry Zarker, BPI CEO. “The industry needs to collect and analyze information on energy upgrades, and HPXML allows this information to be shared easily and accurately.”

BPI released the first version of HPXML in the fall of 2010. The second version provides rules for communicating a much larger data set that includes detailed information about building characteristics, energy conservation measures, and energy savings.

This second version of HPXML was created by a BPI Working Group that includes representatives from state energy offices, national laboratories, program administrators, and software developers.

“The Working Group members have put hundreds of hours of volunteer labor into the development of HPXML,” said Robin LeBaron, managing director of the National Home Performance Council and chair of the Working Group. “They’re creating something that will have tremendous value for the entire field.”

The new version of HPXML will be tested by several members of the working group, who will use it to transfer data between parties involved in the implementation of whole-house energy upgrade programs in Oregon and Cincinnati. BPI said the testing will ensure that both sending and receiving systems are set up correctly.

Following the round of preliminary testing, the new version of HPXML will be submitted to BPI’s Standards Technical Committee for consideration as a BPI and ANSI standard. Developers, program administrators, and others interested in reviewing or implementing HPXML should contact Robin LeBaron at robin.lebaron@nhpci.org.

Publication date: 09/12/2011