Philadelphia Energy Benchmarking Ordinance
What is Philadelphia Energy Benchmarking Ordinance?
Philadelphia energy benchmarking ordinance, requiring annual reports for large commercial and multifamily buildings, empowers owners to compare their building’s energy and water efficiency with similar structures. This valuable data sparks awareness and inspires action toward sustainability, shaping a more energy-conscious cityscape.
What buildings are required per Philadelphia Energy Benchmarking Ordinance?
- Any building with indoor floor space of over 50,000 square feet.
- Any building participating in the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program.
Your building may qualify for an exemption from reporting if:
- If more than 50% of the indoor floor space is unoccupied for more than 180 days in total.
- If benchmarking or disclosure would cause exceptional hardship or would not be in the public interest.
- In buildings primarily used for manufacturing or other industrial purposes for which benchmarking results would not meaningfully reflect building energy use characteristics due to the intensive use of process energy. “Process energy” refers to energy used in the actual manufacturing, production, or processing of a good, commodity, or other material.
- During the calendar year, building ownership changed and a full calendar year of utility bills is not available.
What is the penalty for non-compliance?
Building owners who miss the June 30 deadline for Philadelphia energy benchmarking face a $300 fine for the first month and an additional $100 fine for each consecutive day of non-compliance.
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 2024, you will need to connect with the City of Philadelphia’s account and share your Energy Star Portfolio Manager data.
What is the deadline for Philadelphia Energy Benchmarking Compliance?
Philadelphia Building Energy Benchmarking requires that building owners annually submit their energy usage data using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool by June 30th.
What utilities are required for benchmarking reporting?
- Water
- Electricity
- Natural Gas
- District Energy
- Any other purchased fuel
What is the purpose for Philadelphia Building Energy Benchmarking ordinance?
Philadelphia energy benchmarking ordinance tackles two key goals: boosting energy efficiency in buildings and reducing energy costs. Large buildings are major contributors to urban energy consumption and carbon emissions. By participating, owners can identify and improve their most inefficient properties, leading to substantial reductions in emissions. Additionally, benchmarking empowers owners to uncover unnecessary energy expenses, resulting in significant cost savings.
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