Across the country, there are more than 40 local and state benchmarking ordinances, all of which require the use of EPA’s Portfolio Manager. Outsourcing your benchmarking is a good option for many, and some ordinances require periodic verification by a qualified professional.
The costs can range from free (some providers include this service in their packages or offer basic benchmarking as a free service) to hundreds of dollars or more for larger and more complex buildings. ENERGY STAR’s Service and Product Providers partners offer this service.
The cost of benchmarking depends on:
- The complexity of your building: some properties are very complex with multiple meters, multiple fuel types, multiple tenants, multiple space types, onsite solar, onsite power plants, etc. The more complex, the more time, and thus money it will cost.
- The state of your benchmarking data: If this is your first-time benchmarking, the collection of your energy (possibly water) data and property use details (weekly hours of operation, number of workers, etc) could require more time and effort.
- The number of buildings in your portfolio: There may be economies of scale if you hire a service provider to benchmark a large number of buildings in a single portfolio.