If you own or manage a commercial building in a major North American city, there is a good chance your local government requires you to track and report your building’s energy and water usage every year. This process is called building energy benchmarking.
How it works
Most jurisdictions use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager as the reporting platform. The basic process involves:
- Gathering 12 months of utility data (electricity, gas, water) for your building
- Entering that data into Portfolio Manager
- Submitting the report to your city or jurisdiction by the annual deadline
- In some cities, having the data verified by an accredited professional
It sounds simple, but the details vary significantly by city. Each jurisdiction has its own rules, portals, thresholds, and penalties.
Who needs to comply?
Building size thresholds vary by city. Here are the current requirements in our primary markets:
- Washington, D.C.: Buildings over 10,000 sq ft (new for 2026)
- Chicago: Buildings over 50,000 sq ft
- Denver: Buildings over 25,000 sq ft (with prescriptive requirements down to 5,000 sq ft)
- Vancouver: Commercial buildings and now multi-family residential over 50,000 sq ft
- Toronto: Large buildings under both provincial (EWRB) and municipal (EGPS) requirements
What happens if you don’t comply?
Penalties range from public shaming to real financial consequences:
- DC enforces $100/day fines for non-compliance
- Chicago assigns a “0-star” public energy rating, visible to tenants and buyers
- Denver charges $0.30 per kBtu for missing EUI performance targets
- Vancouver has moved to annual carbon penalties for exceeding GHG intensity limits
Beyond compliance
The real value of benchmarking is what it tells you about your building. Accurate energy data is the foundation for identifying waste, planning upgrades, and reducing operating costs. Buildings that benchmark consistently tend to reduce energy use by 2 to 3 percent per year simply through awareness and targeted action.
How Alert Energy can help
We have been helping building owners with benchmarking since 2014. We handle the full process from utility data collection through submission, and our M&V expertise means your numbers are accurate and defensible. Get in touch for a free consultation about your building’s benchmarking requirements.