Benchmarking Reminder: Submit Building Usage Data by May 31

Benchmarking Reminder: Submit Building Usage Data by May 31

By Penny Laughlin

If the New York City Benchmarking Law applies to your property, you have until May 31 to enter and submit your building’s usage data. Previously, the deadline was May 1.

Codified in Local Law 84 of 2009 and Local Law 133 of 2016, the Benchmarking Law requires owners of covered buildings to submit information about annual energy and water usage. Covered buildings are those that exceed 25,000 gross square feet or multiple buildings on a single lot that total 100,000 gross square feet or more.

Benchmarking Law Compliance

The law standardizes the benchmarking process by requiring building owners to use the Energy Star Portfolio Manager® (ESPM), the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) online benchmarking tool. Owners or their representatives need to create an ESPM account and enter building characteristics and uses.

  • Buildings with Single/Primary Property Use. Owners of buildings with a single/primary property use must match the building use to one of the property types listed in the Portfolio Manager. “Other” will not be accepted as a primary property type.
  • Buildings with Separate Property Uses. Owners of mixed-use buildings must follow the Portfolio Manager guidelines for reporting such properties.

Next, owners or their representatives need to collect whole-building energy and water data from utility providers. (Most utilities automatically upload this information.) Once this data is uploaded, owners need to retrieve a current Reporting Template from the Benchmarking Compliance Instructions page and submit a benchmarking report.

Energy Efficiency Ratings

Per Local Law 33 of 2018, buildings subject to the Benchmarking Law must display their Building Energy Efficiency Rating label in a conspicuous location near each public entrance. The labels include a letter grade and the building’s energy efficiency score, based on the current benchmarking report. Updated labels become available in the DOB NOW Public Portal property profiles every October 1, and they must be printed and displayed by October 31.

For more information about your responsibilities under the Benchmarking Law, see the Local Law 33 compliance guide published by the DOB.

If you have any questions about the benchmarking process, or if you need assistance, please contact Metropolis Group at 212.233.6344.