Local Law 84: Benchmarking
The first step to making a building more efficient is to understand how much energy and water it uses and how its usage compares with that of similar buildings. Therefore, the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP) requires owners of large buildings to annually measure their energy consumption in a process called benchmarking. Local Law 84 (LL84), the first law in GGBP, standardizes this process and captures information with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) free online benchmarking tool called Portfolio Manager.
LL84 will give building owners and potential buyers a better understanding of a building’s energy and water consumption, eventually shifting the market towards increasingly efficient, high-performing buildings.
In summary, LL84’s annual benchmarking process requires the following:
- Determine if a building needs to be benchmarked by checking the Covered Building List.
- Measure the building’s energy and water usage with an online benchmarking tool.
- Submit usage data online annually to the City by May 1.
LL84 has quarterly deadlines of May 1, August 1, November 1 and February 1.
If you have not submitted your benchmarking report by May 1, be sure to submit as soon as possible to clear the violation, and be sure to pay the $500 fine. If you have not submitted by the last quarterly deadline of February 1 you may receive a fine for each quarter of non-compliance and will need to pay the fine(s) to clear any violation(s).
Contact Professional Engineers (PE) and Certified Energy Managers (CEM) at Synergy to expeditiously walk you through the compliance process, as well as challenge fines and violations, when applicable.