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Energy benchmarking is becoming a must for large cities, with Boston being the latest one. Benchmarking mandates the measurement and disclosure of energy use for large buildings, and is meant to help building owners understand their energy use better, and to take action in poorly performing buildings. In an effort to inspire action, the Lawrence […]

Add Boston to the list of cities that have approved energy benchmarking. The city ordinance will require larger commercial and residential buildings to report annual energy and water usage to the city, making the information available for the public. Seven other cities have enacted energy benchmarking including New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. California […]

A new report questions the value of energy benchmarking laws, especially in terms of what they are meant to achieve. Robert Stavins, an environmental economist at Harvard University, examined "whether mandatory benchmarking and auditing rules can achieve what they're meant to do." Energy benchmarking has worked its way to the Midwest as a way to […]

Last year, New York City required its commercial buildings to disclose their energy consumption. The benchmarking plan saw many surprises including finding newer LEED buildings ranked behind much older buildings when it came to energy efficiency. Take for instance the New York Times building, which is seeing more impressive gains in efficiency. Constructed in 2007, the […]

The U.S. Department of Energy Technical Assistance Program (TAP) recently released an 11-step outline for public sector organizations to use in developing an energy benchmarking plan. Benchmarking is comparing a metered building's current energy performance with its energy baseline. It can help building managers compare performance over time or between similar types of buildings or to […]

Energy benchmarking is making its way to the Midwest in 2014 when Minneapolis will be the first Midwest city to require large commercial buildings to report their energy and water use annually. Energy benchmarking presents an opportunity for building owners and property managers to identify areas for improvement to increase energy efficiency and reduce operating […]