Colorado Building Performance Standard (BPS)
What is Colorado Building Performance Standard (BPS)?
The Colorado Building Performance Standard (BPS) is a program established by the “Energy Performance for Buildings” Statute (House Bill 21-1286) to promote energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in large buildings across the state. Building owners must benchmark their building’s energy use annually. This involves measuring and tracking energy consumption to identify areas for improvement. This benchmarking data must be reported to the Colorado Energy Office (CEO). This data helps track progress and identify trends.
What buildings are required per Colorado Building Performance Standard (BPS)?
- Commercial, Multifamily, and public buildings over 50,000 square feet.
Building owners must benchmark their whole-building energy use and meet set building performance targets. Together, these buildings must reduce sector-wide emissions 7% by 2026 and 20% by 2030 from 2021 levels.
Your building may qualify for an exemption from reporting if:
- Building was unoccupied for 30+ consecutive days.
- Building demolition permit was issued.
- Financial hardship (conditions in Appendix B apply).
- Utility data access issues:
- Building doesn’t meet utility’s aggregation threshold.
- Utility customers withhold data permission (requires proof of owner effort to obtain permission).
- Building with 4+ utility customers outside a qualifying utility’s service territory and no aggregated data available.
What is the penalty for non-compliance?
If a building owner fails to submit a benchmarking report to CEO,
waiver request, or the corresponding fee, the building owner will be considered non-compliant and subject to civil penalties of $500 for the first violation and $2,000 for each subsequent violation.
What is the compliance process?
Building owners must report their energy usage data to Energy Star Portfolio Manager, a reporting tool that allows building owners to compare their building’s energy efficiency with similar buildings.
Covered building owners must pay an annual fee of $100 per building by June 1 of every reporting year (with the exception of public and federal buildings). This fee is paid through the Building Performance Colorado website and covers both benchmarking and building performance reporting. If a building owner fails to pay this annual fee, they will not be in compliance.
What is the deadline for Colorado Building Performance Standards (BPS)?
CEO requires that building owners annually submit their energy usage data using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool by June 1st.
What utilities are required for Colorado benchmarking reporting?
- Electricity
- Natural Gas
- District Energy
- Any other purchased fuel
What is the purpose for Colorado Building Performance Standards?
Reduce Energy Consumption in Buildings: Buildings are a major source of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The BPS program aims to identify opportunities for improvement in large buildings through mandatory benchmarking. By tracking energy use and comparing it to similar buildings, owners can pinpoint areas for efficiency upgrades. This can lead to significant reductions in energy consumption over time.
Promote a More Sustainable Future: By driving down energy use in buildings, the BPS program contributes to a more sustainable future for Colorado. Reduced energy consumption translates to lower greenhouse gas emissions, which helps combat climate change. Additionally, the program encourages a shift towards more sustainable building practices in the state, promoting long-term environmental benefits.
Interested in benchmarking help?
If you are interested to learn more how Energy Fave can help with Energy benchmarking for your building or if you have more questions about the whole reporting process, feel free to email us: Info@energyfave.com