Benchmarking means measuring a building’s energy use and then comparing it to the average for similar buildings. It allows owners and occupants to understand their building’s relative energy performance, and helps identify opportunities to cut energy waste. We believe that sharing this data can also drive the market to recognize and reward energy efficiency and create a continuous cycle of improvement and demand for high-performing buildings.

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Putting Data to Work: Making the Financial Case for Energy Efficiency Upgrades

NYCEEC efficienSEE™ Tool In September 2014, New York City (NYC) committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 80 percent by the year 2050 (80×50), with an interim target to reduce emissions 40 percent by 2030. Building energy use reduction will play a significant role in achieving NYC’s 80×50 goals, as buildings account for nearly … Continued

Putting Data to Work: Deploying Building Performance Data in Climate Strategy

Clean Energy DC Cities are on the front lines of climate change, acutely feeling its impacts while actively working to mitigate its causes. In many cities, buildings are not just the main places citizens spend their time, but they also remain one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. As such, addressing their performance … Continued

Putting Data to Work: Impact Assessment to Estimate the Savings from Energy Efficiency Programs

A Guide for City Governments to Estimate the Savings from Energy Benchmarking and Energy Efficiency Programs Mandatory programs that require benchmarking of building performance—wherein building owners track their building’s energy and/or water use and report the results to local government departments—have become one of the common tools for policymakers striving to reduce energy use within … Continued

Putting Data to Work: Emerging Uses for Building Energy Data for Utilities

Emerging Uses for Building Energy Data for Utilities Across the U.S., an increasing number of cities, counties, and states are examining building performance benchmarking and transparency as a critical step in addressing building energy and water use. These energy benchmarking and transparency requirements generate new and robust building-level datasets. This report describes the opportunities that … Continued

Putting Data to Work: Outreach Strategies for Cities and Efficiency Administrators

Sample Scripts and Discussion Questions to Guide Customer Engagement Across the U.S., an increasing number of cities, counties, and states are examining building performance benchmarking and transparency as a critical step in addressing building energy and water use. Energy benchmarking allows for the comparison of a building’s performance to its own historical energy and water … Continued

Putting Data to Work: Project Summary

The culmination of a three-year project led by the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), Putting Data to Work examines how, exactly, building performance data can and is being deployed to reap an array of benefits for cities, energy efficiency service providers, utilities, and building owners. This project summary outlines the resources compiled in a larger project toolkit, identifying key takeaways and linking to individual components.

How to Choose the Right Energy Management Information System

Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS) consist of a broad set of tools and services that give building owners, facility managers, energy managers, and commercial property management companies the information required to measure, manage, and enhance building performance. When used in alignment with other energy management best practices, EMIS can lower a building’s energy use by … Continued

Building a Successful Green Lease Infographic

According to a 2015 study by IMT, green, also known as “energy-aligned” or “high-performance” leasing can save the U.S. office market $3.3 billion annually and reduce a commercial building’s utility bills up to 22 percent. Knowing the potential savings and benefits that  green leasing delivers, IMT and the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) worked together … Continued

Overview of Utility Engagement Issues

This report was produced by IMT for the Pacific Coast Collaborative, which sets a cooperative direction in key policy areas of mutual interest among North America’s West Coast jurisdictions including California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.