Philadelphia Implements Energy Benchmarking

Deadline to comply goes into effect after the end of October

The number of Energy Star certified buildings in Philadelphia has more than doubled in the last five years, with the city now home to 174 certified facilities.

The compliance deadline is fast approaching for Philadelphia’s new energy benchmarking program.

All owners and operators of buildings with more than 50,000 square feet of indoor space, or mixed-use buildings where at least 50,000 square feet of indoor space is devoted to commercial use, must disclose annual energy usage and water consumption, which will be made available online.

To ensure efficient and accurate measurement and reporting of building energy usage, facility owners and operators will use the EPA’s free Portfolio Manager tool. Building data, such as age, size, type, and use, are combined with utility consumption data to generate energy performance scores based on the building’s performance relative to similar facilities nationwide.

This benchmarking program is a key step in Mayor Michael Nutter’s Greenworks Plan, which is designed to reduce citywide building energy use by 10% in 2015. Fines for failure to comply will go into effect after Oct. 31.