认证能源计算机程序的要求正在能源和能源管理领域制造问题。一个州的法律现在要求认证，其他州的法律似乎已经准备好遵循，现在联邦政府似乎正在进入这一领域。毫无疑问，所有的能源项目都不一样，一个项目也不会为所有人做所有事情。那么，为什么一个项目需要认证，而另一个项目没有？是什么让一个比另一个更好？认证的依据是什么？作者研究了这些问题，并讲述了他们在认证项目EP方面的经验- 在加利福尼亚州。人们认识到，必须对能源项目的技术内容进行评估，但更重要的是，应了解其局限性，并根据已知的基准对其进行评级，而不是一个对另一个。提出了一个暂定的认证或评级计划，既可以满足认证要求，又允许用户在适当的时候灵活地使用较低的复杂度。引文:研讨会，ASHRAE交易，第86卷，第一部分，加利福尼亚州洛杉矶

The requirement for certifying energy computer programs is creating problems in the energy and energy management field. One State law now requires certification, others appear to be ready to follow and now the Federal Government appears to be entering the field. There is no question that all energy programs are not alike, nor will one program ever do all things for all people. Then why should one program be certified and another not? What makes one better than another? What is the basis for certification? The authors examine these questions and relate their experiences in certifying the program EP-II in California. It is recognized that energy programs must be evaluated for technical content, but more importantly their limitations should be known and they should be rated against a known bench mark, not one against another. A tentative certification or rating plan is presented that could satisfy both the requirement for certification and yet allow the user the flexibility of using less sophistication when appropriate.