The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association has published ANSI/BHMA A156.45, giving architects and building owners the industry's first repeatable method for measuring the operational energy use of wired locks, strikes, and input devices. With electrified access control now standard on commercial doors, the new kWh/day metric plugs a growing hole in whole-building energy models.
A New Metric for a Fast-Growing Load
Every electrified lock, strike, card reader, and REX sensor on a commercial door pulls power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Multiply that across a hospital, a university campus, or a Class A office tower with hundreds of openings, and the aggregate load stops being trivial—especially in projects chasing net-zero targets or LEED points. Until now, though, there was no consistent way to quantify it.
That gap just closed. The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association has published ANSI/BHMA A156.45, Determination of Builders Hardware Energy Consumption, introducing a consistent method for measuring the operational energy usage of wired architectural door hardware, including locks, strikes, and input devices. The standard responds directly to what BHMA describes as a spike in electrified access control (EAC) solutions across commercial and institutional buildings.
How the Standard Works
A156.45 establishes a framework for evaluating energy consumption, with certification values expressed in kilowatt hours per day (kWh/day) across multiple levels of use. The new standard measures energy consumption over a 24-hour period using three operational models that reflect real-world door activity:
- Secure – when passage is not possible
- Non-Secure – when free passage is possible
- Triggered – active operation events during the day
The results allow for meaningful comparisons between products and can support broader building energy evaluation programs such as the LEED rating system. In other words, for the first time, a spec writer can pull two competing electric strikes off two different manufacturers' cut sheets and compare their actual daily energy draw on an apples-to-apples basis.
Why This Matters for Spec Writers and Design Teams
Electrified openings have quietly become the default on any commercial project involving access control, life-safety interlocks, or credential-based entry. But their energy footprint has been a black box. As Anthony Gambrall, BHMA's Director of Standards, put it, as building owners pursue energy-efficiency and net-zero goals, there is a growing need to quantify the energy impact of these systems, and the new standard provides a standardized tool to compare the energy performance of electrified architectural hardware and support more informed building design decisions.
For architects and MEP engineers, A156.45 does three things at once:
- Feeds whole-building energy models with defensible hardware inputs, rather than the placeholder assumptions engineers have had to invent.
- Creates a defensible sustainability line on the door hardware schedule—useful for LEED submittals, owner ESG reporting, and any project referencing model energy codes.
- Puts pressure on manufacturers to publish certified values, not marketing estimates. Once one major lock or strike maker posts A156.45 numbers, the rest of the category will follow.
The Federal Backdrop: A Vacuum That Standards Are Filling
The timing is significant. In December 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation rescinded its National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building, saying the standard doesn't align with the Trump administration's priorities. The DOE explicitly discouraged states, municipalities, and standards-setting organizations from using and referencing the definition.
That rollback leaves states, cities, and owners without a consistent federal benchmark for emerging energy and carbon standards—and it may disrupt efforts by groups such as ASHRAE, the International Code Council, and the U.S. Green Building Council to align sector-wide emissions standards. Into that vacuum, private-sector standards like A156.45 become disproportionately important. LEED, WELL, Title 24, and municipal stretch codes still incentivize the same strategies the ZEB definition once reinforced, and they need measurable inputs to do it.
Practical Implications for Contractors and Manufacturers
- General contractors should expect A156.45 values to start appearing in Division 08 71 00 hardware specs on higher-performance projects—particularly federal, healthcare, and higher-ed work.
- Hardware manufacturers that move quickly to publish certified kWh/day values will win specs on any project where an energy consultant is involved. Those that don't will start losing them.
- Building envelope consultants now have another lever to pull when modeling operational carbon, especially on projects where the door and glazing packages carry significant electrified content.
Door hardware has traditionally been an afterthought in envelope energy conversations dominated by U-factors, SHGC, and air leakage. A156.45 doesn't change the pecking order—but it does mean that for the first time, the electrified opening has a number to defend.