California’s Building Energy Benchmarking Program is in full effect for buildings over 50,000 square feet. Starting June 1st, 2019, Assembly Bill (AB) 802 will require smaller commercial and multi-family properties to also submit building data for benchmarking. Stay proactive and benchmark your building now with QMC’s energy benchmarking solution.
Interesting tidbit: Electrical energy is one of the highest energy uses within residential properties. While Governor Jerry Brown’s AB 802 has been in effect since 2017, it has only targeted commercial buildings over 50,000 square feet. Starting on June 1st, 2019, multifamily buildings with over 17 units will also be required to submit for AB 802.
What does energy benchmarking involve for multi-family properties?
We believe proper energy benchmarking requires a few steps:
- Installing accurate submeters for building level energy management
- Tracking energy use for twelve months
- Submitting energy use data to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
- Comparing your building data with like buildings to understand relative performance
Choosing the right benchmarking partner is critical: Let QMC help. We can provide the submetering hardware you need, paired with a smart reporting platform that can directly submit your building data to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
Why do I need to benchmark my multi-residential building?
Energy benchmarking is important to property managers, building owners, and energy managers because it gives them an opportunity to see where they can improve on operating costs.
For instance: If your multi-family building uses too much energy when comparing to like buildings, this would be a perfect time to do an energy audit.
This allows you to see where you are wasting energy, and will give you the tools to cut costs by being more energy efficient. It can also be a great recommissioning tool, giving you the perfect reason for why you need to upgrade an older piece of infrastructure.
If your multi-residential building is benchmarked and it receives a 75 or higher score on ENERGY STAR Portfolio manager, your building will be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification!
Stew Hutton, BSc, CMVP – Vice President, Business Development, California
Want to learn more? Contact us today.
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