What can I exclude from my property?

  • Updated

The best practice is to include all of a property's Gross Floor Area (GFA) and energy use when benchmarking. In addition, many state and local benchmarking ordinances require you to report all energy. However, if your benchmarking for ENERGY STAR certification, here are a few examples of energy that allowed to be excluded (provided it is sub-metered) from your property:

  • Cell towers
  • Rooftop Broadcast antennas (when the antennas are not related to the use of the building. (A broadcast antenna on a TV Studio MUST be counted)
  • Parking garages
  • Electric vehicle charging stations
  • Outdoor, heated pools
  • A large billboard or projection screen on a building (or in your parking lot) when the sign is not related to the use of the building. (A sign displaying the company's name or anything related to the business MUST be counted)
  • Trash Compactors
  • Well pumps
  • Aeration Fountains in retention ponds (used to prevent algae growth)

For ENERGY STAR certification you may exclude a Property Use from a building if ALL of the following four conditions are met:

  1. The Property Use must be less than 10% of the building's Gross Floor Area (GFA)
  2. The Property Use must not be a property type eligible to receive an ENERGY STAR score
  3. The Property Use must be sub-metered so that both the Property Uses energy consumption and GFA can be excluded
  4. The Property Uses energy use patterns must be significantly different than those of the rest of the building (ex: A cell phone tower on a building)

If you exclude the energy for a Property Use, then you must also exclude the GFA and property use details. If you apply for certification, the LP who certifies your application will need to explain all property uses that are excluded, and how they meet the above criteria.

Notes:

  • Regarding certification, any Property Use that can receive a score, such as ground-floor retail (over 5,000 sq ft) and data centers, must be included. These Property Uses cannot be excluded from an application under any circumstance.
  • If you are benchmarking to comply with a state or local benchmarking ordinance, please check their rules about what, if anything, may be excluded.
  • You can exclude more than one property type, as long as each meet the 4 criteria above, AND their combined total is less than 10% of the building's GFA.
  • If you're unsure of whether a certain energy use can be excluded, contact us to ask for clarification.

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