San Francisco's municipal building energy use is down 3.6% and carbon emissions are down 5.1% from 2011, according to San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's second annual Energy Benchmarking Report.
The report details energy usage for nearly 450 municipal buildings, including over 130 school district facilities. These properties comprise more than 46 million square feet of floor space, an increase of more than 9 million square feet over the first report two years ago.
Key performance findings show that benchmarking generates verifiable savings for individual buildings and the city alike. Examples of progress include:
- The overall energy use of benchmarked buildings declined 3.6% from 2011 and 4.4% compared to 2009.
- The average carbon footprint of benchmarked facilities decreased 5.1% from 2011 and 7% compared to 2009.
- The decreased energy use from 2011 to 2012 alone saved the city approximately $450,000 in energy costs.
- Almost 80% of the 139 public facilities with an ENERGY STAR rating perform equal to or better than the national average. Only five facilities ranked in the bottom 25% when compared to their national peers.
- City Hall scored high enough for the official ENERGY STAR label, performing better than 90% of similar office buildings nationwide.
