On Tuesday, July 29^th, Mayor Gray signed the “Sustainable DC Omnibus Act of 2014” into law.  This bill advances several sustainability initiatives, including banning the use of Styrofoam in the District, effective January 1, 2016.  The law also contains key provisions to support benchmarking reporting through expanded utility data access.

Effective January 1, 2015, utility companies will be required to provide building owners with access to whole-building aggregated energy and water consumption data for benchmarking.  The companies will also be required to automatically upload the energy consumption data to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager on a monthly basis.  These requirements will assist building owners by easing the process of benchmarking and energy use disclosure.

Additionally, the law requires transfer of utility records when a property subject to the benchmarking requirements changes ownership, to ensure that the new owner will be able to track the building’s energy performance.  New owners will be required to benchmark the building and report the results for the year the building was purchased.

For additional information regarding benchmarking click here.