Energy Benchmarking – Are You Ready?
July 18, 2012 | Posted In Uncategorized
On July 11, 2012 the California Energy Commission adopted benchmarking requirements for nonresidential buildings in accordance with Assembly Bills 1103 and 531. Under the new laws the building owner or operator will be required to disclose energy usage data to a prospective buyer or lessee of the entire building, or a prospective lender financing the entire building. This information will be gathered by using an energy benchmarking system.
Why is energy benchmarking so important? Energy benchmarking allows a building owner or operator to compare their building’s performance to that of similar buildings and determine how to manage energy costs.
Who will benefit from energy benchmarking? Building owners and operators can use the energy consumption data to identify areas that need to improve efficiency, resulting in reduced energy costs, increased property value and increased comfort for the building occupants. Prospective buyers and lessees will be better able to estimate operational costs of the building.
How do I get started? At least 30 days before a building is sold, leased, or financed the building owner must open an account at the U.S. EPA’s Energy Star® program Portfolio Manager website. The following basic information will be requested: building owner’s name, email address, name and address of the building, year built, all sources of energy use data for the most recent 12 months, and a request that all utility and energy providers to release energy use data for the most recent 12 months.
Implementation Timetable:
| Buildings Greater than 50,000 sq. ft. | January 1, 2013 |
| Buildings 10,000 – 50,000 sq. ft. | July 1, 2013 |
| Buildings 5,000 – 10,000 sq. ft. | January 2014 |
