Energy benchmarking is making its way to the Midwest in 2014 when Minneapolis will be the first Midwest city to require large commercial buildings to report their energy and water use annually.
Energy benchmarking presents an opportunity for building owners and property managers to identify areas for improvement to increase energy efficiency and reduce operating costs.
Though there are different ways to benchmark, most laws will allow cities to gather better data on a sector that usually consumes the bulk of overall energy. This type of transparency is the first step in monetizing efficiency and increasing the value of retrofits.
Energy benchmarking laws are fairly standard in much of Western Europe, but have just gained steam in the U.S. in recent years. Cities that have recently passed energy benchmarking laws include New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Austin and California.
Source: GreenTech Media
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