New Energy Regulations

Queued Up for 2022

By Joel Nelson on Jan 21, 2022 in Energy

A raft of new and updated energy-related regulations across the U.S. will go on the books this year.  Complying with them requires property managers to use specialized platforms capable of collecting utility billing data for an entire building and reporting it to ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®, which tracks energy and water consumption and compares it to similar buildings.

New energy benchmarking and reporting laws are constantly being enacted in jurisdictions across the country. The Yardi Energy team monitors those changes to help clients seamlessly comply. 

Examples of new regulations that Yardi will help clients comply with include:

• An ordinance in Chula Vista, Calif., requiring annual ENERGY STAR® energy and water consumption benchmarking, with 2021 data due by March 20.  The requirement covers residential and commercial properties with gross floor areas of at least 50,000 square feet and includes reporting of utilities paid by tenants. In 2023 the reporting threshold will decrease to 20,000 square feet.
• A Colorado state-wide regulation that requires owners of commercial and residential properties at least 50,000 square feet to report all energy and water use in their buildings, including utilities paid by tenants. The regulation also levies a $100 benchmarking fee for each building.

Regulation updates that go into force this year include:

• A lower threshold for annual energy and water reporting in Fort Collins, Colo., from 10,000 square feet for commercial buildings and 20,000 square feet for residential buildings to 5,000 square feet for both.
• Similar threshold reductions in Reno, Nev., from 50,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet; and Columbus, Ohio, from 100,000 square feet to 50,000 square feet.
• A suspension of the Commercial Building Energy Reporting ordinance in Portland, Ore., to April 2023. Residential buildings are already exempt.

Other reporting requirements impact properties in Canada. For example, while the Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking regulation in Ontario will remain unchanged in 2022, the reporting threshold will decrease to 50,000 square feet from 100,00 square feet in 2023 for reporting data collected in 2022.

Learn how Yardi benchmarking services help property owners across all real estate markets use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to comply with a rapidly shifting regulatory landscape.