Energy Benchmarking

Private Building Benchmarking Deadline: Monday, April 1, 11:59pm! Go to District Benchmark Reporting Templates. >>

UPDATE: Revised list of buildings required to benchmark in 2013 published on March 1, 2013!

Energy benchmarking means tracking a building’s energy and water use and using a standard metric to compare the building’s performance against past performance and to its peers nationwide. These comparisons have been shown to drive energy efficiency upgrades and increase occupancy rates and property values. A city-wide Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions found that buildings are responsible for 75% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the District and so managing and reducing energy consumption in buildings is central to the vision for a Sustainable DC. Rising energy costs mean that energy now represents a significant portion of operating budgets for buildings in the District and across the nation.

Since you can’t manage what you don’t measure, the Green Building Act of 2006 (GBA) and the Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008 (CAEA) established requirements for the District Government to annually measure and report the energy use of all public buildings 10,000 gross square feet or larger, and for owners of private buildings over 50,000 gross square feet to also measure and annually report the energy performance of their buildings. To streamline this process of benchmarking, the District has selected the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) free, industry-standard online tool, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, as the required benchmarking tool.

Energy Benchmarking of Privately-Owned Buildings

- Final Rulemaking Published and Deadline Set

 Energy Benchmarking of Public Buildings

- New Public Benchmarking Report Released

Energy Benchmarking Case Studies

• Three case studies highlight the benefits and ease of benchmarking and improving energy efficiency.

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