OTHER POLICIES TARGETING EXISTING
BUILDINGS: BENCHMARKING ORDINANCES
RETROFIT POLICIES
these policies require building owners to modify
existing buildings to improve energy efficiency
and reduce energy consumption.
BENCHMARKING AND DISCLOSURE ORDINANCES
these policies require building owners to measure,
report, and disclose building energy use. While
collection and disclosure of information may get an
owner to make upgrades or changes based on
comparison to similar buildings in their own portfolio
or locally, these laws do not require that owners do
anything to their buildings.
RENTAL DISCLOSURE POLICIES
these policies require rental properties to disclose
energy use information to prospective tenants.
FINANCIAL OR NONFINANCIAL INCENTIVES
these policies provide incentives that encourage
building owners to invest in clean energy upgrades
including rebates, financing, tax credits, and density
bonuses.
CROSS-CUTTING POLICIES
these policies require building owners to choose an
energy-efficiency action from a menu of options.
Building Performance Standards are a relatively new policy tool that aims to
regulate buildings already in existence and promote retrofits. However, there are
other longer-standing policy levers that many cities implement to drive energy
efficiency investments in existing buildings besides BPS. Some policies, like
mandatory benchmarking ordinances, seek to reduce information barriers to
energy efficiency investments, while more stringent policies, like retrofit mandates,
require building owners to take actions that directly reduce building energy use.
While BPS and benchmarking are distinct policies, benchmarking requirements are
a meaningful bedrock to an effective BPS or other efforts to improve energy
performance whether voluntary or mandatory.
Data collected through
measuring and assessing
energy performance for
benchmarking often helps
state and local
governments to set and
measure compliance with a
BPS.
Benchmarking policies
typically use EPA's Energy
Star Portfolio Manager
tool: Portfolio Manager is an
interactive resource
management tool that
enables you to benchmark
the energy use of any type
of building, all in a secure
online environment. Nearly
25% of U.S. commercial
building space is already
actively benchmarking in
Portfolio Manager, making
it the industry-leading
benchmarking tool.
Sustainability & Energy Management Simplified
