Montgomery County building owners:

What is Montgomery County’s Building Energy Benchmarking Law?

Montgomery County’s Building Energy Benchmarking Law (Bill 2-14 and Bill 35-15) requires building owners to benchmark the energy use of nonresidential buildings 50,000 square feet and greater in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager. Additionally building owners are required to have their energy data verified by a Recognized Data Verifier the first year, every three years thereafter, and report it to the County annually for public disclosure. The law was adopted in 2014 and reporting deadlines began in 2015.

Purpose

The law’s goal is to improve our understanding of energy consumption patterns, quantify energy performance to compare against past performance and other similar buildings, help identify energy saving opportunities within a portfolio of buildings, and manage business bottom line through consistent data collection and tracking.

Does it impact me?

If you own or manage buildings above 50,000 square feet in Montgomery County, MD you must track and report your energy consumption according to the City’s compliance deadlines.

What is the deadlines?

The compliance deadline for all affected buildings to report their annual energy usage is June 1 every year.

What are the fines?

The Benchmarking Law is enforceable under Method 2 regulations (including fines for noncompliance), and any violation of the law is a Class A violation. A Notice of Violation will be sent out to any building owner of a covered building who does not comply with the law.

How do I comply?

Building owners must report their energy usage data to EPA’s Portfolio Manager, a reporting tool that allows building owners to compare their building’s energy efficiency with similar buildings.