San Diego Energy Benchmarking

The City of San Diego Climate Action Plan (CAP), adopted in 2015, calls for creating more energy-efficient buildings and ordinances to conserve and disclose energy use. In pursuing its CAP goals, the San Diego City Council passed the PDF icon Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance in February 2019. The ordinance requires commercial buildings over 50,000 square feet and multifamily and mixed-use buildings greater than 50,000 square feet and with 17 or more residential accounts to submit energy data to the City of San Diego in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®.

The purpose of this program is to create and implement a benchmarking program that will increase building energy use transparency to the community and the City, with the goal of motivating improvement in building energy performance.

If you own or manage a public or commercial properties 50,000+ sq. ft. or mixed-use and multi-family properties 50,000+ sq. ft. with 17 or more residential accounts, you are required to comply.

Your building may qualify for an exemption if any of the following apply:

• The owner did not have a Certificate of Occupancy or temporary Certificate of Occupancy for the disclosable building, in accordance with San Diego Municipal Code sections 129.0113 through 129.0118, for more than six months of the calendar year being benchmarked;

• The owner has begun demolition work on the disclosable building and it is no longer possible to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy or temporary Certificate of Occupancy prior to June 1;

• The City Manager determines in his or her sole discretion that disclosure of the owner’s energy use data would result in the release of proprietary information that can be characterized as a trade secret; or

• The owner of a disclosable building cannot collect sufficient information to complete a benchmarking submission. The owner shall provide written or electronic proof of a submission request for data from the utility and tenants and proof that the request was either denied by the utility or the tenants, or no response was received from the tenants.

The city requires building owners to report their energy usage annually via the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager tool by June 1st.

All energy utilities including electricity, natural gas, district energy, and any other purchased fuel type used to operate your building.

The fines for non-compliance are up to $1,000.

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.

However:

• Touchstone IQ for Buildings is a fast, easy-to-use tool that integrates directly with EPA’s Portfolio Manager

• Touchstone IQ also offers expert-led benchmarking to building owners and managers looking for streamlined compliance and cost-saving recommendations

Many benchmarking ordinances require a Building ID as part of the report submission process. If needed, you may be able to find your Building ID number here.

San Diego large properties are exempt from California state energy benchmarking laws and only have to report to the City. Learn more about exempted local benchmarking ordinances in California here

• San Diego Building Energy Benchmarking Program

• San Diego's Energy Efficient Building Benchmarking Ordinance

• San Diego Building Owner Portal

• San Diego Benchmarking Disclosure Map

Touchstone IQ for Buildings offers expert-led benchmarking and easy DIY tools for San Diego’s large properties. Simplify energy benchmarking compliance while gaining the tools to save money and build your energy intelligence with our exclusive software platform. Gain access to the nation's leading energy experts to ensure significant improvements in your energy usage for your commercial, multifamily, or public building. Our team has partnered with entities of all sizes to reduce their carbon footprint, reach ambitious targets, and comply with new regulations. Whether you're looking for comprehensive, step-by-step guidance to craft your energy management plan or a convenient, intuitive benchmarking solution, we've got you covered. Schedule your free personalized demo today or contact us for pricing or questions.