Energy Benchmarking for Commercial Buildings — Know Your EUI Before the Deadline Does
Energy benchmarking is the mandatory first step for building performance standard compliance in Washington, Oregon, NYC, and 40+ other jurisdictions. Get it done right.
What Is Energy Benchmarking?
Energy benchmarking is the process of measuring and tracking a building's energy consumption over time and comparing it against similar buildings or established performance targets. The standard unit is Energy Use Intensity (EUI) — total energy consumed per square foot per year, expressed in kBtu/sf/yr. A lower EUI means a more energy-efficient building. EUI is calculated from actual utility consumption data covering electricity, natural gas, steam, and any other fuel sources used by the building.
The EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is the universal platform used for commercial building benchmarking in the United States. It is a free online tool where you enter your building's characteristics, square footage, occupancy hours, and 12 months of utility consumption data. Portfolio Manager then calculates your EUI and, for eligible building types such as offices, retail, schools, and hospitals, generates an ENERGY STAR score from 1 to 100. A score of 75 or above qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
Jurisdictions require annual benchmarking because it creates an objective, consistent record of a building's energy performance that regulators, tenants, and buyers can act on. Without benchmarking data, there is no baseline to measure energy savings against — and no way to demonstrate compliance with building performance standards that require specific energy reductions over time.
Your EUI is not just a number for a report. Under Washington's Clean Buildings Performance Standard, your building's EUI will be compared against a Target EUI based on your building type. If your actual EUI exceeds the target, you must implement energy conservation measures to bring it into compliance — or face escalating penalties. Knowing your EUI now gives you time to plan and act before enforcement begins.
Why Benchmarking Matters Right Now
Washington State's Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) Tier 1 deadline is June 1, 2026. That deadline is for buildings over 50,000 square feet — and it is not the compliance deadline, it is the benchmarking deadline. You must have your building benchmarked in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager before you can even assess whether your building meets the energy performance standard or needs improvements.
Buildings that complete benchmarking early have a critical advantage: time. Once you know your EUI, you can compare it against your building type's Target EUI and determine your compliance gap. If your building is over the target, you may need to implement energy conservation measures — lighting upgrades, HVAC improvements, controls optimization, or other capital projects. Those take time to plan, bid, permit, and execute. Buildings that wait until the last moment scramble to find contractors and often cannot complete improvements before penalties begin.
Benchmarking is also the foundation for Oregon's Building Performance Standard, New York City's Local Law 84 and LL97, Boston's BERDO, DC's BEPS, and Colorado's BPS. If your building operates in any of these jurisdictions, the benchmarking clock is already running.
What We Do
We handle every step of the benchmarking process so your building is accurately entered, calculated, and reported in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
Portfolio Manager Setup
We create and fully configure your ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager account, property profile, and meter entries — correctly structured from day one so your data is accurate and reportable.
- New account creation and property profile build-out
- Correct property use type classification
- Meter setup for electricity, gas, steam, and other fuels
- Gross floor area and occupancy configuration
- Verification of all inputs against Portfolio Manager requirements
Utility Data Entry
We enter 12 to 24 months of actual utility consumption data accurately into Portfolio Manager — reviewing bills for anomalies, estimated reads, and gaps that could distort your EUI result.
- Manual entry from PDF or paper utility bills
- Automated data upload coordination where available
- Review for estimated reads and billing anomalies
- Gap identification and data quality verification
- Multi-utility and multi-account consolidation
EUI Calculation
We calculate your building's Energy Use Intensity and provide a clear written summary of the result — including a comparison to your building type's Target EUI under applicable BPS requirements.
- Source and site EUI calculation
- ENERGY STAR score (where property type is eligible)
- Comparison against jurisdiction-specific Target EUI
- Compliance gap assessment and written summary
- Year-over-year trending if prior data is available
Annual Reporting
We provide ongoing annual benchmarking to keep your building in compliance every year — updating Portfolio Manager with the prior year's consumption data and delivering an updated EUI report.
- Annual utility data update and Portfolio Manager refresh
- Updated EUI and ENERGY STAR score
- Jurisdiction compliance reporting support
- Year-over-year performance comparison
- Deadline tracking and proactive outreach
Jurisdictions We Serve
We benchmark commercial buildings for clients operating in any U.S. jurisdiction with a benchmarking or building performance standard requirement.
| Jurisdiction | Law / Program | Coverage Threshold | Key Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State | CBPS | 50,000+ sq ft (Tier 1) | Annual benchmarking; EUI must meet Target EUI by compliance deadline |
| Oregon | OR BPS | 50,000+ sq ft | Annual benchmarking via Portfolio Manager; phased compliance pathway |
| New York City | LL84 / LL97 | 25,000+ sq ft | Annual benchmarking (LL84); carbon intensity limits with penalties (LL97) |
| Boston, MA | BERDO | 20,000+ sq ft | Annual reporting; emissions intensity limits with five-year compliance periods |
| Washington, DC | BEPS | 50,000+ sq ft | Annual benchmarking; energy performance standards with compliance cycles |
| Colorado | CO BPS | 50,000+ sq ft | Annual benchmarking; EUI reduction requirements by building type |
35+ additional jurisdictions have active benchmarking requirements — including Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Seattle, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and others. We benchmark commercial buildings in all covered jurisdictions nationwide. Use our Compliance Checker to confirm your building's requirements.
Simple, Flat-Rate Pricing
No hourly billing, no surprises. You know the cost before we start.
- ✓ ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager setup or update
- ✓ 12 months of utility data entry and verification
- ✓ EUI calculation and ENERGY STAR score
- ✓ Written summary with Target EUI comparison
- ✓ CEM-reviewed results
- ✓ Everything in Single Building
- ✓ Annual utility data refresh
- ✓ Updated EUI and year-over-year comparison
- ✓ Jurisdiction deadline tracking
- ✓ Proactive outreach before each annual cycle
- ✓ Volume pricing for multi-building portfolios
- ✓ Consolidated reporting across all properties
- ✓ Portfolio-level EUI benchmarking and trending
- ✓ Multi-jurisdiction compliance management
- ✓ Priority scheduling and dedicated point of contact
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about energy benchmarking for commercial buildings.
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is a free online tool developed by the U.S. EPA that allows building owners and managers to measure and track energy and water consumption, waste, and greenhouse gas emissions. It is the standard platform used by nearly every building performance standard jurisdiction in the United States. When a jurisdiction requires annual benchmarking, they require the data to be entered and reported through Portfolio Manager. The tool calculates your building's EUI and, for eligible property types, generates an ENERGY STAR score from 1 to 100.
EUI is most meaningful when compared to your building's own baseline over time and against the median for your specific property type. A typical office building has a median EUI around 60–80 kBtu/sf/yr, while a hospital might be 300+ and a warehouse 25–40. What matters for BPS compliance is not a universal benchmark but rather your jurisdiction's specific Target EUI for your building type. Under Washington's CBPS, Target EUIs are set by property use type, and your building must meet that target — regardless of how you compare to a national median. We include a Target EUI comparison in every benchmarking report.
It depends on your building's location and size. Over 40 U.S. jurisdictions have benchmarking or building performance standard laws that require annual energy benchmarking for commercial buildings above certain square footage thresholds — typically 20,000 sq ft and above, though thresholds vary by jurisdiction. Washington State's CBPS covers buildings over 50,000 sq ft (Tier 1). Use our Compliance Checker tool to determine whether your building is covered by any active requirement.
For a single building with readily available utility data, we typically complete the benchmarking setup and data entry within 3–5 business days. The main variable is how quickly utility consumption data can be obtained — either directly from your PDF or paper bills, or through a utility data release authorization. Some utilities offer automated data uploads to Portfolio Manager, which speeds up the process significantly. We coordinate data collection and keep you updated throughout. Portfolios with multiple buildings and utilities may take 2–3 weeks for full completion.
Yes, if your building is covered by a benchmarking or building performance standard law, annual benchmarking is required. Most jurisdictions require you to submit the prior calendar year's energy data by a specific deadline each year — Washington's CBPS requires annual benchmarking with data submitted to the Department of Commerce. Missing the annual benchmarking deadline can result in penalties and will leave you without the baseline data needed to demonstrate progress toward energy performance targets. Our annual benchmarking service handles this automatically so you never miss a deadline.
Get Your Building Benchmarked Today
With the WA CBPS Tier 1 deadline approaching, there is no better time to know your EUI. Flat-rate pricing, CEM-certified results, and a 3–5 business day turnaround.