Benchmarking for Compliance, Data, and Performance
Energy benchmarking has become a standard requirement for commercial and other large buildings across the United States. What started as a transparency initiative is now a core operational responsibility for building owners and managers.
Benchmarking is an ongoing process that supports compliance, cost control, and long-term performance improvement. Understanding how it works and what’s required can help you ensure compliance the first time and avoid the challenging resubmission process.
What is energy benchmarking?
At its core, energy benchmarking is the practice of tracking a building’s energy and water use over time and reporting that data through EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Most local and state benchmarking ordinances require owners to submit at least 12 consecutive months of utility data on an annual basis.
This data creates a baseline for understanding how a building performs compared to itself year over year and against similar buildings nationwide. Without that baseline, it is nearly impossible to validate whether energy projects, operational changes, or building investments are actually reducing costs.
Benchmarking turns utility bills into usable data that enables informed decision making around energy conservation and cost saving efforts.
Why Benchmarking Requirements Keep Expanding
Governments continue to expand benchmarking requirements for a simple reason: buildings account for roughly 40% of total energy consumption in the United States. Benchmarking programs give cities and states visibility into energy usage patterns while giving owners a structured way to identify inefficiencies and reduce waste.
For building owners, compliance is mandatory. But the data collected can also support broader goals such as operating expense reduction, asset value preservation, sustainability reporting, and tenant transparency.
Navigating Benchmarking Compliance
Benchmarking sounds straightforward on paper, but execution is where many companies struggle.
Common issues include:
- Delays in obtaining complete and accurate utility data
- Properties being rejected due to data gaps or quality checker errors
- Missed deadlines because of follow-up delays
- Rejected submissions that require appeals or resubmission
- Managing different requirements across multiple jurisdictions
Benchmarking is not necessarily limited to a single submission. It often involves multiple rounds of validation, corrections, and communication with utility companies and jurisdictions. This follow-up burden is one of the biggest pain points for companies we work with, especially when their portfolios span multiple cities or states.
Why Rejections Happen and What to Do
Rejections are common and are usually tied to incomplete data, incorrect property setup, or failed data quality checks in Portfolio Manager. Without a clear process, rejections can create operational challenges, as well as compliance risk.
Appeals and resubmissions take time, and missing deadlines can result in penalties or public non-compliance listings.
In some cases, buildings may qualify for temporary exemptions or extensions, but those require formal appeals and documentation. This is where a managed benchmarking approach becomes critical.
Turning Benchmarking Into Proof of ROI
Beyond compliance, benchmarking provides the foundation for proving a positive return on investment for energy initiatives. Once a baseline is established, owners can measure performance using year-over-year comparisons or project-specific analysis.
When combined with tools like cost avoidance and weather normalization, benchmarking data can show whether savings are real, sustained, and tied to specific actions. This removes guesswork and allows stakeholders to evaluate projects based on actual utility cost outcomes, not estimates.
If savings do not show up on the utility bill, they are not savings. Benchmarking makes that clear.
How EnergyPrint Simplifies the Process
EnergyPrint manages the full benchmarking lifecycle, not just the submission itself.
Our benchmarking solution includes:
- Collecting and validating utility data directly from providers
- Setting up and maintaining Portfolio Manager properties correctly
- Running and resolving data quality checks
- Submitting reports to required city and state portals
- Managing follow-up, rejections, appeals, and resubmissions
- Keeping portfolios compliant year after year as requirements change
For building owners and managers, this removes the operational burden while ensuring accuracy and consistency across properties.
Benchmarking is an Ongoing Operational Process
Benchmarking is not a single deadline you need to meet. It’s an ongoing operational requirement that, when handled correctly, provides insight into building performance and energy costs over time.
As more jurisdictions adopt benchmarking and disclosure laws, having a repeatable, reliable process matters. The organizations that treat benchmarking as a managed solution rather than an annual obligation are the ones that stay compliant, reduce risk, and extract real value from their data.
EnergyPrint helps building owners do exactly that, across Minnesota and nationwide. To understand your local benchmarking requirements and ensure your properties are fully compliant, schedule a free audit.