Orlando Energy Benchmarking Ordinance

What is Orlando Energy Benchmarking Ordinance?

Orlando City Council unanimously passed the Building Energy and Water Efficiency Strategy (BEWES), a policy focused on tracking the energy and water output of our largest buildings. Orlando Energy Benchmarking Ordinance mandates that owners of sizable buildings must benchmark and report their building’s energy consumption to the City of Orlando. Subsequently, this information will be made public by the City, allowing owners to gauge how their buildings stack up against others in the same category.

What buildings are required per Orlando Energy Benchmarking Ordinance?

  • Commercial or Multifamily buildings over 50,000 square feet.
  • City-owned buildings over 10,000 square feet.

Your building may qualify for an exemption from reporting if:

  • It meets any of the exemptions defined for covered City property.
  • The director determines that, due to special circumstances unique to the facility and not based on a condition caused by the actions of the applicant, strict compliance with provisions of this ordinance would cause undue hardship.
  • The property qualifies as having financial hardship.
  • The property is considered “industry,” “manufacturing” or is part of a theme park.
  • Substantially all of such non-City property is used for telecommunications infrastructure.
  • More than three meters are associated with the property and
    • the electric utility does not provide whole-building data aggregation services.
    • The owner doesn’t have access to master meters or any other means.

What is the penalty for non-compliance?

Buildings failing to adhere to BEWES regulations by the specified deadline may face public disclosure starting in 2019 and could incur a fine, the amount of which will be determined.

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.

Starting from December 2020, operators of buildings scoring below the national average of 50 are obligated to conduct an energy audit or opt for retro-commissioning of their base building systems once every five years.

What is the deadline for Orlando Energy Benchmarking Compliance?

BEWES requires that building owners annually submit their energy usage data using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool by May 1st.

What utilities are required for benchmarking reporting?

  • Water
  • Electricity
  • Natural Gas
  • District Energy
  • Any other purchased fuel

What is the purpose for Orlando Building Energy Benchmarking ordinance?

A building’s energy efficiency score is similar to a miles-per-gallon (MPG) rating for cars or nutritional labels for food. This information provides important data for tenants and investors when deciding where to live and work.

The city believes that benchmarking is an important best management practice and public disclosure of building energy performance promotes transparency and accountability. Sharing benchmarking data on a large scale will open conversation among all stakeholders and allow everyone to work toward common energy goals by recognizing and rewarding efficiency.

BEWES was developed through Orlando’s participation in the City Energy Project, a national initiative to create healthier and more prosperous American cities by improving the energy efficiency of large buildings.

Together, with the other participating cities, this partnership serves to create multiple complementary strategies and energy efficiency solutions that are unique, flexible and serve to support the following goals: promote efficient building operations, promote transparency, encourage private investment and show city leadership.

BEWES policy will result in the followings outcome by 2030: Save money and improve comfort, Improve air quality and public health, Increase economic development and job creation, Reduce water supply constraints, Enhance our resilience, and Lead the nation.

Interested in benchmarking help?

    Interested?

    Energy Fave ensures swift and hands-off compliance for Orlando building owners by seamlessly interfacing with Portfolio Manager and efficiently completing the entire reporting process

    Contact Us

    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: [email protected]