To benchmark the energy use of a building means to obtain information on the energy (i.e., electricity, natural gas, propane, other fuels) use in an entire building for a specific period to enable that energy use to be tracked or compared against other buildings.

When building owners enter energy use information for a building into a measurement and tracking tool, such as Portfolio Manager^® developed by the U.S. EPA through the ENERGY STAR® program, building owners can learn how the energy performance of their building compares to other similar buildings. Metrics generated by Portfolio Manager^® can help inform building owner decisions regarding energy efficiency improvements and retrofits.

Assembly Bill 802 (Williams, Chapter 590, Statutes of 2015) establishes a new statewide building energy use benchmarking and public disclosure program.

AB 802 requires utilities to provide energy use data for “covered buildings” to the building owner or owner’s agent upon request. It requires the California Energy Commission (CEC) to establish a benchmarking and public disclosure program. Aggregated, whole-building data will be available to building owners of a “covered building” under AB 802. Under the law, building owners (or authorized agents) are allowed to obtain the total energy use data (across all tenants) for their building, in most cases without obtaining authorization from their tenants.

Individual, tenant-specific meter data is available to building owners who secure individual consent and authorization from each tenant in the building. The data release authorization form, which, when signed by a tenant, provides explicit authorization for the utility to release tenants' energy use to the building owner, can be downloaded here.

You are required to comply if your building has:

1. more than 50,000 square feet of gross floor area; and
2. either no residential units or 17+ residential units.

 These are considered “disclosable buildings.” For more information, including exemptions, see the program fact sheets for Commercial and Multifamily Buildings.

The first step to benchmarking a building is to create an account in Portfolio Manager, an online tool for measuring and tracking a building’s energy and water consumption. For those new to building benchmarking, the Portfolio Manager starter kit helps users get acquainted with the tool:

• Print the Portfolio Manager quick start guide for a handy, at-a-glance guide to the basic steps of using Portfolio Manager.
• Use the data collection worksheet to determine the data needed to benchmark a property in Portfolio Manager.
• Visit the training section for Portfolio Manager how-to guides, short videos, and live and recorded training sessions.

For more information on Portfolio Manager^®, visit portfoliomanager.energystar.gov.

The owner of a disclosable building, or the owner’s agent, may request energy use data from Burbank Water and Power by completing and submitting the following documents:

• Data Request Form
• Proof of Building Ownership
• Customer Energy Data Release Forms (if applicable)

Once you’ve completed the required forms, please email them to [email protected] with the subject “Benchmarking.”

For more information, please call (818) 238-3700.