City of Seattle
Energy Benchmarking
The 2024 Energy Benchmarking deadline is June 1, 2024.
Updated April 2024
What is it?
The City of Seattle has required buildings over 20,000 square feet to benchmark energy usage in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager annually since 2015, enabling the Office of Sustainability & Environment to create a robust baseline energy use profile for the City.
The 2024 Energy Benchmarking deadline is June 1st. Penalties for noncompliance are $2,000 or $4,000 per year depending on building size. Check your building’s compliance status on the City’s Compliance Portal. To get help with energy benchmarking in time to avoid penalty, contact Sershon Systems right away to get started.
Previous years’ energy data was used in the development of Seattle’s upcoming Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS), though BEPS will complement, not replace, Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking law. You can read more about Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking requirements on the Office of Sustainability & Environment’s website.
BEPS updated Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking law, changing the deadline from April 1st each year to June 1st, and adding “greenhouse gas emissions” to the definition of benchmarking under the law.
Do I need to re-benchmark for Clean Buildings?
As building owners prepare to comply with both the Washington State Clean Buildings Performance Standard and Seattle’s Building Emissions Performance Standard, they may need to update their previous benchmarking efforts.
While the Energy Benchmarking law focuses on Site Energy Use Intensity and accurate Property Use Details for buildings, CBPS and BEPS have different Portfolio Manager profile focuses and require additional calculations.
Check out Sershon Systems’ Benchmarking Requirements Comparison Chart to understand what each piece of legislation requires in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and the calculations needed from metrics in the law.
Note that for both Seattle BEPS and Washington CBPS the Portfolio Manager profile must be reviewed by a qualified person as defined under the Standard. You can learn more about qualified persons from Commerce’s Guide on Roles and Responsibilities.
Sershon Systems provides comprehensive benchmarking services that take into account the requirements of all legislation and are always performed by a CBPS qualified person. Send a message to get started.
