This document discusses energy benchmarking, reporting, and data access policies across major US cities. It notes that buildings account for 70-75% of greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage in large cities. Benchmarking and disclosure policies have now been implemented in several cities, covering over 4 billion square feet of commercial space. Preliminary results from New York City's benchmarking program found high compliance rates and increased energy efficiency improvements at many buildings.

1. Energy Benchmarking,
Reporting and Data Access:
A National Perspective
July 27, 2012 | EEB Hub Regional Data Management Working Group
Cliff Majersik
Executive Director
Institute for Market Transformation
cliff@imt.org

2. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN MAJOR CITIES
NEW YORK CITY DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA In large cities
with good public
Solid waste,
wastewater
and fugitive (5%)
Transportation
(22%)
transportation,
Transportation
(20%) Waste (2%) buildings
Metro transit
(2%)
typically account
Buildings (75%) Buildings (74%) for 70% or more
of CO2 emissions
CHICAGO BOSTON
and energy usage.
Other (9%)
Transportation
(29%)
Transportation
(21%)
Buildings (70%) Buildings (71%)

3. No information = no action
Cities are looking at what drives demand and competition in other industries
 How can markets work more effectively?
 How can demand increase without public subsidies?
 How can policy help reduce energy costs for businesses and consumers and create jobs?

4. Building Energy Rating and Disclosure
4

5. A Virtuous Cycle
“When
performance is
measured,
performance
improves. When
performance is
measured and
reported back,
the rate of
improvement
accelerates.”
One result:
Exceptionally cost-effective peak load reductions

6. Benchmarks Guide Investment
Survey of hundreds of facility managers .
Audin, Lindsay. “Finding Your Best Energy Opportunity.”
Building Operating Management. December, 2011.

7. Added Value of ENERGY STAR-Labeled Commercial Buildings in the U.S. Market
ENERGY STAR-Labeled Buildings Command
Market Premiums

8. Industry
Standard
>250,000
commercial buildings
>40,000
individual accounts
27 billion sq. ft.
of commercial &
institutional office
space
More than 35%
of commercial market

9. Saving $ and the Environment
Through 2011, nearly
16,500 ENERGY STAR Certified
buildings
• Saved nearly $2.3 billion
in energy costs annually
• Reduced the equivalent
of 12 Million Metric Tons
of CO2 a year
• Equivalent to electric use
of over 1.5 million homes

10. BENCHMARKING AND DISCLOSURE POLICIES, 2007 - PRESENT

11. LOCAL REQUIREMENTS AND POLICY STATUS
Benchmarking
Jurisdiction Reporting Disclosure Audits RCx
(Building Type and Size)
Non- Multi- To local On public To To transactional counterparties
residential family gov’t web site tenants Sale Lease Financing
Austin 10k SF+ 5+ units  - -  - -  -
California 10k SF+ -  - -    - -
Washington, DC 50k SF+ 50k SF+   - - - - - -
New York City 50k SF+ 50k SF+   - - - -  
San Francisco 10k SF+ -    - - -  -
Philadelphia 50k SF+ -   -   - - -
Seattle 10k SF+ 5+ units  -     - -
Washington state 10k SF+ - - - -    - -
Boston Under Consideration
Boulder Under Consideration
Cambridge Under Consideration
Chicago Under Consideration
Minneapolis Under Consideration
Portland Under Consideration
San Jose Under Consideration

12. BUILDING AREA (IN SQUARE FEET) COVERED ANNUALLY
Seattle San Francisco
281 million SF 205 million SF
Washington State
247 million SF
Existing policies will Austin
impact more than 113 million SF
60,000
California
347 million SF
buildings Washington, DC
420 million SF NYC
totaling more than 2.5 billion SF
4 billion SF of NUMBER OF BUILDINGS COVERED ANNUALLY
floor space in major San Francisco
real estate markets
2,700 bldgs
over the next few Seattle
9,000 bldgs NYC
years
16,000 bldgs
Washington State
4,600 bldgs
Washington, DC
Austin 1,900 bldgs
2,800 bldgs
California
13,600 bldgs

13.  Economic analysis of benchmarking and  Job creation study in New York City found
disclosure policy advised by real estate service providers hiring as a result of
leaders Greener, Greater Buildings Plan
 Create more than 59,000 net new jobs  Primary issue is lack of demand, not
in 2020 financing
 Reduce energy costs for building
owners and businesses by $18 billion
in 2020

14. Access to Utility Data
21% of utilities have completed the questionnaire
http://en.openei.org/wiki/Utility_Access_Map

15. Energy Usage Data System
• Automatically submits whole building energy
usage data to Portfolio Manager
• Easy free online enrollment
• Used by 3,125 buildings!
• Increasing demand for ComEd efficiency
programs

16. Of those who benchmarked:
• 62% took energy
Report for the management actions
California Public
Utility Commission: • 84% planned or
implemented energy
Utility-led efficiency improvements
benchmarking
programs yielding • 81% link improvements to
substantial energy utility efficiency programs
savings
April 2012
• 82% said utility training
had been sufficient to
benchmark buildings on
their own

17.  BOMA, RER, IMT, USGBC form DATA Alliance to work
with utilities and regulators to secure better access to
utility data
 July 2011: NARUC resolution encourages regulators to
facilitate benchmarking and whole building data
access to commercial building owners
 Collaboration with Administration on expanding Green
Button initiative to include multi-tenant data access
for Energy Star benchmarking
 www.energydataalliance.org

18. 18

19. Cliff Majersik
Executive Director
Institute for Market Transformation
cliff@imt.org
www.imt.org
www.buildingrating.org
www.energydataalliance.org

20. NEW YORK CITY
GREENER, GREATER
BUILDINGS PLAN
 Energy benchmarking and
public disclosure for large
buildings, + mandatory audits,
RCx, lighting upgrades and
tenant sub metering
 NYC buildings account for $15
billion annually in energy costs,
94% of NYC electricity usage
 Properties over 50,000 SF
account for ~2% of building
stock by number, but 50% of
floor area
 Stock will exist for many, many
years

21. EXISTING BUILDING STOCK IN NYC
= 1 million buildings existing today
= 85% will still exist in 2030
= 20,000
buildings
Rendering courtesy NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability

22. YEAR 1 RESULTS: NEW YORK CITY
 Approximately 75% overall compliance
- Major outreach and training effort
- Benchmarking help center by CUNY/NYSERDA
- Data supplied by ConEd
 Significant participation by energy efficiency services vendors and consultants
 More than 2,300 city buildings benchmarked and disclosed
 City-wide aggregate analysis of building energy data to be published
 Year 2 compliance deadline was May
 Benchmarking data for commercial buildings published in Sept. 2012
Sept. 2012: 1st public Sept. 2013: 1st public
disclosure for commercial disclosure for
Dec. 2009: Greener, buildings multifamily buildings and
Sept. 2011: First public
Greater Buildings Plan 2nd public disclosure for
disclosure for municipal
adopted commercial buildings
facilities
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
May 2010: All municipal May 2012: 2nd May 2013: 3rd
Aug. 2011: 1st benchmarking
facilities benchmarked benchmarking benchmarking
deadline for privately owned
deadline for deadline for
multifamily and commercial
privately owned privately owned
buildings
buildings buildings