Atlanta, Portland, and Kansas City, MO, are implementing new benchmarking ordinances, bringing the total number of U.S. cities with such ordinances to 14.
In Portland, benchmarking is required for commercial buildings over 20,000 square feet, which encompasses nearly 80% of the city’s commercial space and roughly 1,000 buildings. The minimum square footage to trigger the requirement in Atlanta is 25,000 square feet, and in Kansas City, 50,000 square feet.
Portland has set a goal to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. Atlanta projects that its ordinance will drive a 20% reduction in energy consumption by 2030.
The new ordinances require FMs to use ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager, a free online tool, to report energy and water consumption annually. The cities subsequently make the data available to the public.
In addition to promoting more sustainable operations, mandatory benchmarking is expected to provide local jobs and improve city economies. The reports allow FMs to make real-world comparisons of their building’s performance to that of others in the same area.
Learn more about using the Portfolio Manager tool to improve your facility’s efficiency at www.energystar.gov.
