This toolkit and associated resources aim to enable other local governments, utilities, and program implementers to learn from the District and New York City’s experiences and replicate their success, to maximize energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) savings from their built environments.

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Putting Data to Work: Using Data from Action-Oriented Energy Efficiency Programs and Policies

Audit, Retrocommissioning, and Building Performance Standard Implementation Considerations for Policymakers This resource was developed as part of Putting Data to Work, a multi-year pilot project that analyzed ways to use building performance data generated by city policies to improve energy efficiency program design and delivery in the District of Columbia and New York City. Putting … Continued

Putting Data to Work: Using Monthly Data From Benchmarking Programs

Insights for Better Buildings and More Effective City Programs This resource was developed as part of Putting Data to Work, a multi-year pilot project aimed at using building performance data and asset information to help efficiency program implementers better target their outreach to building owners and increase the number of projects executed within these programs. … Continued

Creating Alignment between Cities and Utility Energy Efficiency Programs

Cities are increasingly acting as market catalysts to encourage and require building owners to improve energy performance. However, cities implementing building performance policies that require actions like audits or re-tuning may experience conflicts with their regulated utilities’ efficiency programs, which depend on energy savings being additional—not attributable to market adoption or preexisting laws. These utility … Continued

Putting Data to Work: Successful Partnerships to Accelerate Efficiency

NYC Retrofit Accelerator Cities adopting and implementing building performance benchmarking policies that require building owners to track and report their buildings’ energy and/or water use on a regular basis are collecting a trove of data that can be used to accelerate investments in energy upgrades in buildings. For energy efficiency program implementers, this data can … Continued

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.