Energy Benchmarking Requirements

Energy Benchmarking is the process of tracking a building's annual energy use and using a standard metric to compare the building's performance against past performance and to its peers nationwide. Benchmarking improves our understanding of energy consumption patterns; helps identify energy saving opportunities within a portfolio of buildings; and manages business bottom line through consistent data collection and tracking.

Montgomery County's  Energy Benchmarking Law requires building owners to:

  1. Track the energy use of buildings 25,000 gross square feet and greater in the county in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager,
  2. Have data verified by a Recognized Data Verifier the first year and every three years thereafter, and
  3. Report data to the County annually for public disclosure.
  4. Meet long-term site energy use intensity performance standards. For more information on compliance with Building Energy Performance Standards, visit DEP’s  BEPS website.

 

Covered Buildings and Deadlines

Public and privately-owned buildings 25,000 gross square feet and larger are covered by the energy benchmarking requirement and must report energy data to DEP by June 1 each year. 

DEP’s Covered Buildings Inventory lists buildings that are covered by the law. This inventory is an approximation, meant to raise awareness about the law and help identify the buildings covered by the law. Each building owner will need to confirm their own building square footage to determine coverage under the law.

Buildings first begin benchmarking per the following timeline:

Benchmarking Law Compliance

Compliance with the County's Benchmarking Law is a multi-step process that must be completed annually. By following the steps below, you’ll be able to benchmark your building, have the data verified, and report data to DEP.

DEP requires the use of  ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to enter and report data each year. Please review the Montgomery County Building Energy Benchmarking HOW-TO GUIDE (PDF, 2.94 MB) for full instructions on reporting.

Need help?

Book a Benchmarking Support virtual meeting with one of DEP staff. Please book a 30 minute time slot and add your Montgomery County Building ID, building address, and a brief summary of your question in the "Notes" section.

Benchmarking Help

Email the Benchmarking Helpdesk or call us at 240-777-7707 for questions about the benchmarking law, building coverage, and to be connected with resources at EPA’s Portfolio Manager or at local utilities.

You can also book a Benchmarking Support virtual meeting with one of DEP staff here. Please book a 30 minute time slot and add your Montgomery County Building ID, building address, and a brief summary of your question in the "Notes" section.

Sign-up for the Commercial Energy News, a newsletter that includes all of the Benchmarking Law updates, as well as Commercial PACE financing news, green building news, and commercial energy events.

Enforcement

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is responsible for the implementation of this law. The Benchmarking Law is enforceable under Method 2 regulations (including fines for noncompliance), and any violation of the law is a Class A violation. DEP will send out Notice of Violation to any building owner of a covered building that does not comply with the Law. Note that DEP is available to assist any building owner to help them comply with the law.

Benchmarking and Reporting to the State of Maryland

Beginning in 2025, many buildings in Montgomery County that are 35,000 gross square feet and larger will also be subject to the State of Maryland's benchmarking and building energy performance standards requirements.

Building owners are required to annually benchmark buildings subject to the performance standards and must submit previous calendar year whole building energy consumption data online through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager by June 1 each year, starting in 2025.​ For 2025 only, the deadline has been extended to September 1, 2025. 

Please visit MDE's BEPS Portal for more information on requirements, building coverage, next steps, and resources. MDE's Benchmarking Guide provides additional information about state requirements as well as guidance specific to Montgomery County building owners reporting to both jurisdictions. Finally, a joint presentation (PDF, 1.87MB) created by DEP and MDE provides an overview of specific cases. 

For questions about state benchmarking and BEPS requirements, please contact BEPS.MDE@maryland.gov

More on Benchmarking


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