CA Benchmarking

Yardi Smart Energy Suite is Ready

By Joel Nelson on Dec 8, 2018 in Energy, News

A California energy benchmarking law going into effect next June requires multifamily property owners to complete a potentially daunting array of information gathering and reporting requirements. Yardi’s energy management software and experts stand ready to make the process easy and painless.

Under the mandate, known as AB 802, owners of multifamily buildings with more than 17 units, or gross floor area of 50,000 square feet, must report information on energy use from all energy meters using ENERGY STAR^® Portfolio Manager^®. Reports to the California Energy Commission for 2018 are due to the California Energy Commission on June 1, 2019, and annually thereafter. Similar requirements for commercial buildings went to effect in June 2018.  Actions the commission recommends to meet the June 1 deadline begin by Feb. 1, 2019.

Each building’s energy efficiency will be disclosed on a yet-to-be-established state website. “Publicly disclosing the performance of buildings will allow building owners and tenants to make better informed purchasing and leasing decisions, and the general public to better understand the buildings in which they live and work,” according to the California Energy Commission.

Yardi is an ENERGY STAR Partner and is helping California users of the Yardi Smart Energy Suite get ready for AB 802. All owners of more than 330 California properties that rely on Yardi for ENERGY STAR benchmarking have retained the company in preparing for AB 802.

Yardi Utility Expense Management, an element of the Yardi Pulse Suite, centralizes utility cost and consumption data and sends it directly into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Portfolio Manager is an online tool for tracking energy and water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. It also allows comparisons of a building’s energy performance against similar-type buildings.

Elements of AB 802 compliance include setting up multiple measurement criteria for mixed-use properties, gathering and submitting data to satisfy multiple regulations and utility providers, and accommodating a mix of vendors and regulations that require each property to be set up differently than others in a portfolio. The Yardi Energy team can perform all of these complex undertakings for Yardi Utility Expense Management clients.

“Yardi’s team of specialists delivers the benchmarking service and keeps track of constantly changing regulations that impact their portfolios,” said Randy Moss, an ENERGY STAR expert on the Yardi Energy team. “We can complete compliance reporting with minimal intrusion into the client’s daily operations.”

Learn how Yardi Utility Expense Management can help you identify conservation opportunities and measure results.

On Dec. 11, the California Energy Commission is sponsoring a webinar about AB 802’s requirements and lessons learned from the commercial buildings element of the law. Register today.