This resource guide provides state and local leaders with streamlined access to key existing resources for developing and implementing high-impact building energy benchmarking and transparency programs in their jurisdictions.
Local governments across the U.S. are leading the charge on a variety of complex objectives, which include developing plans to meet long-term climate goals, improving public health, increasing access to energy-saving programs, and enhancing local resilience to extreme weather. Utilities play an invaluable role in these efforts by collecting and sharing energy consumption and program … Continued
This executive summary of Rethinking Energy Data Access: Conquering Barriers to Achieve Local Climate Goals provides an easy-to-digest summary of the report’s top findings and recommendations for local government sustainability staff, utilities, and utility regulators on how to reform the ways in which data is requested, protected, and shared in order to advance critical goals for each party.
The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) sets the minimum energy efficiency standards for commercial and residential buildings. No matter what town or city you are in, it likely enforces a version of the IECC—most cities and states adopt the IECC as is, or a version that is based on the code. This means updates to … Continued
DC’s clean energy law is the first to meaningfully address existing building performance.
This year has been a breakthrough for climate action in the midst of enormous challenges. As devastating impacts and warning signs mounted, city governments, businesses, real estate leaders, and individuals took on a new level of urgency to deploy solutions that will reduce carbon emissions and move us faster towards a cleaner, more energy-efficient future. … Continued
After more than a year of private sector and community engagement, Fort Collins, Colo., became the 25th U.S. city to pass a benchmarking and transparency policy for privately owned buildings on December 4. This is a key step in accomplishing Fort Collins’ ambitious climate goal of being carbon neutral by 2050, and follows the City’s … Continued
Cities are prime venues in which we can tackle climate change by crafting and implementing proven, common-sense building energy efficiency interventions that reduce energy consumption, save money, and cut back harmful emissions associated with energy generation and use. In this post, we take a look at Chicago’s new building energy rating system and how it … Continued
Last week, the City of Seattle released a new summary report highlighting the results of its citywide building benchmarking and transparency program for 2014 to 2016, and the findings are encouraging. For example, consider these two highlights: Compliance is high. In 2016, the last year covered by the new report, 3,352 buildings reported, representing over … Continued
Sharing Data to Motivate Action is intended to help implementers of benchmarking and transparency policies understand the latest techniques for developing energy benchmarking scorecards, also called energy benchmarking profiles, which present energy data to building owners as actionable information to encourage investment in efficiency.