WHAT IS ENERGY BENCHMARKING?
Benchmarking is a process where the energy performance of a building or a campus of buildings is input into the US EPA Portfolio Manager tool.
Aggregate electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, propane, water and sewer consumption, and green power are energy sources whose monthly or annual utility consumption is entered into the EPA Portfolio Manager tool.
EPA’s Portfolio Manager tool analyzes the energy consumption of your property by calendar year, compares your building’s type, size, geographical location, and age against buildings with similar characteristics, and provides an energy performance rating for the building on a scale of 1 to 100 – 1 being the lowest performing, and 100 being the highest performing. For most building types, including multifamily buildings and communities, the building is eligible to proceed with Energy Star Certification if the building or property earns a score of 75 or higher from the EPA.
By benchmarking and tracking the building’s performance over time, you can start to understand how to save on operational costs, attract tenants and owners, and increase the overall property value of the building long-term. This process of rating the building’s energy performance can help property managers, community associations, and residents in identifying the energy performance metrics of the building and enables your community to begin the process of making improvements to reduce energy and water consumption.