Washington, D.C. has been at the forefront of building energy regulation for years, and the Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) represent the latest step in that direction. Unlike traditional benchmarking, which simply requires you to report your energy use, BEPS sets actual performance targets your building must meet.
What is BEPS?
BEPS applies to buildings over 50,000 sq ft in Washington, D.C. It requires these buildings to meet specific energy performance targets over defined compliance cycles. If your building does not meet the target, you face a penalty of $10 per square foot.
For a 100,000 sq ft building, that is a potential $1 million penalty. This is not a theoretical risk.
How BEPS relates to benchmarking
Benchmarking is the foundation of BEPS. Your annual benchmarking submission is what the District uses to measure whether you are meeting your performance target. If your benchmarking data is inaccurate, you could end up with a performance target that does not reflect your building’s actual capabilities, making compliance harder than it needs to be.
This is why accuracy matters so much. Getting your benchmarking numbers right is not just about avoiding a late filing penalty. It directly affects your BEPS compliance trajectory.
The 2026 expansion: buildings down to 10,000 sqft
2026 is the first year that buildings between 10,000 and 25,000 sq ft are required to benchmark in DC. While these smaller buildings are not yet subject to BEPS performance standards, the data they report now will likely inform future regulation.
If you own a boutique office, condo, or mixed-use building in this range, this is your first year of compliance. The deadline is May 1, 2026, and DC enforces a $100/day fine for late filings.
How to prepare
- Start early. Gather your utility data now. Do not wait until the last week.
- Get your square footage right. Your gross floor area directly affects your EUI calculation, which determines your BEPS target.
- Review past filings. If you have been benchmarking for years, review your historical data for accuracy. Errors in past years may have set your performance trajectory incorrectly.
- Think beyond compliance. Use your benchmarking data to identify real energy savings opportunities. Buildings that actively manage their energy use tend to meet BEPS targets more easily.
How Alert Energy can help
We have been helping DC building owners with benchmarking since 2014. For BEPS-affected buildings, we go beyond filing to actively manage your performance trajectory, identify efficiency opportunities, and help you avoid the $10/sqft penalty.