What You Need to Know Right Now About Chicago Energy Benchmarking

April 1, 2014

Update!

Elevate Energy now offers complete benchmarking compliance services to help multifamily building owners or managers comply with Chicago’s Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance. In 2016, residential buildings great than 50,000 square feet are required to measure, verify, and report energy use. Expert staff from Elevate Energy will help streamline this process for you, from identifying whether your building is required to comply to verifying and signing off on the data. Click here for more information on our services.

You can also email us at benchmarking@ElevateNP.org or call Maria Quiñones at 773-906-5140.

Chicago energy benchmarking begins! We’ve got the basics to help building owners get started.

The Chicago Energy Benchmarking Ordinance raises awareness of energy performance through information and transparency, with the goal of unlocking energy and cost savings opportunities for businesses and residents. Here’s more on why energy benchmarking matters.

This year, non-residential buildings over 250,000 square feet are required to benchmark by June 1, 2014. To comply, building owners and managers will gather building and energy data, enter it into the free ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool, have the data verified by a qualified professional, and share the data with the city.

Here’s how building owners and managers can get started now:

First, confirm that your building is indeed 250,000 square feet or larger.
Identify a benchmarking lead – such as building staff or a third party partner – to coordinate benchmarking, data verification, and reporting.
Get help. Professional and public interest groups from around Chicago, including Elevate Energy, have come together to support building owners and managers in energy benchmarking and efficiency improvement opportunities. You have access to:
- Free resources and training. The City of Chicago Compliance Checklist provides a helpful list of steps and deadlines. Visit www.CityofChicago.org/EnergyBenchmarking to download a step-by-step Benchmarking Guide, or to sign up for a free training.
- Friendly experts. You can contact the Help Center at Info@ChicagoEnergyBenchmarking.org or call (855) 858-6878.
Be aware of other deadlines. First-time compliance deadlines will phase in over three years based on building size and sector. This year, only nonresidential buildings over 250,000 are required to comply. Next year, nonresidential buildings over 50,000 and residential buildings over 250,000 square feet must comply by June 1, 2015.