Mayor’s Office of Sustainability Reminds Commercial Building Owners to Meet July Benchmarking Deadline

July 14, 2015

Building owners must submit energy use data through Energy Star Portfolio Manager by July 20

ATLANTA – July 14, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability reminds commercial building owners to meet the upcoming energy benchmarking data submission deadline of Monday, July 20.

Passed in April, the Commercial Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance (15-O-1101) requires private and City-owned buildings over 50,000 square feet in size to benchmark and report their energy use annually to the City of Atlanta.

Utilizing the data collected, building owners will complete an energy audit once every 10 years. An energy audit is a detailed assessment of how a building could improve its performance through upgrading its equipment and systems. In addition, building performance data collected under the benchmarking initiative will be made transparent to the public to allow the market to recognize, reward, and drive increased demand for high-performing buildings and to focus programmatic efforts.

“Atlanta’s commercial buildings are leading the way for energy and water conservation. With this new ordinance, we have added a vital tool to the toolbox which will enable both privately and publicly-owned buildings to continue their strong track record of conservation,” said Stephanie Stuckey-Benfield, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta. “We anticipate that benchmarking will spur the creation of jobs in energy efficiency and will cut carbon emissions from building operations.”

Building representatives can determine if a property is required to benchmark this year by visiting www.atlantabuildingefficiency.com and clicking on the “How to Comply” tab. Failure to comply with this year’s benchmarking submission requirement will result in a fine of $1,000 per property.

All covered properties were issued notification letters that included assistance resources and the upcoming deadline this past June. Since the ordinance’s adoption, more than 270 building professionals have been trained on the new law.

The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability has created a number of online and in-person resources in addition to the building efficiency website, including a live help desk operated by Southface and a free Energy Star Portfolio Manager training series hosted by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Georgia and Southface.

The Southface Helpdesk offers support via one-on-one consultation to owners and operators needing assistance with benchmarking. The Helpdesk can be reached at (404) 604-3665, or by email at .

About the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability:
The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability is focused on embedding sustainability best practices into Atlanta city government and across the community. For more information about Atlanta’s efforts to create a more sustainable city, please visit the Office of Sustainability’s page at http://p2catl.com. Follow the Office of Sustainability on Facebook and Twitter @ATLSustainable.

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For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit http://www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @CityofAtlanta. Follow Mayor Reed on Facebook and Twitter @Kasim Reed

Contact

Jenna Garland, Press Secretary
404-330-6612, office
404-357-5579, cell