The City of Portland’s Commercial Building Energy Reporting Policy is a citywide energy benchmarking program requiring owners of existing buildings to report energy use annually, using ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®. Effective as of April 2015, this program provides building owners insight into their building’s energy efficiency and helps meet the City of Portland’s Climate Action Plan goals.
BEGIN COMPLIANCE NOW
WHAT BUILDINGS ARE COVERED UNDER PORTLAND BENCHMARKING?
Property Size
Existing buildings 20,000 Sq. Ft. or larger.
WHAT INFORMATION IS REQUIRED FOR BENCHMARKING?
Annual benchmarking reporting requires 12 calendar months of whole-building energy, and building use data. For example, in 2025, building owners must report 12 months of 2024 data.
WHEN ARE PORTLAND BENCHMARKING REPORTS DUE?
April 22, annually. Benchmarking reports must be submitted on an annual basis using the previous year’s data via ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®. This is the EPA’s benchmarking tool that is used for compliance reporting in most ordinances across the country.
WHAT INFORMATION IS REQUIRED FOR BPS?
Building Performance Standards (BPS) are often considered Phase II of these building energy use ordinances. After reporting your benchmarking data, many ordinances require you to make changes to the building’s operations or equipment to lower energy use over time.
Portland does not requires covered properties to meet building performance standards. However covered buildings do need to comply with Oregon State BEPS policy in addition to this requirement.
WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES IF YOU DON'T COMPLY WITH PORTLAND BENCHMARKING?
Failure to comply with Portland’s Commercial Building Energy Reporting Policy will result in a $500 fine per building every 90 days until in compliance.
HOW DO I COMPLY WITH PORTLAND BENCHMARKING?
CONTACT US HERE to learn more and get started with compliance.
Portland Benchmarking compliance can be confusing and hard to navigate. Bringing on a consultant like VCA Green streamlines the entire process while ensuring accurate reporting. We also offer free consultations with our benchmarking clients to review the reports and identify inefficiencies to improve.
WHEN SHOULD I START PORTLAND BENCHMARKING COMPLIANCE?
Ordinances such as Portland Commercial Building Energy Reporting are already in effect across the country, and deadlines are rapidly approaching. Retrieving historical building data will take time, especially when coordinating with property managers and utilities.
Waiting until the last minute risks missing compliance windows resulting in fines and enforcement penalties. VCA Green takes every measure to ensure complete and accurate data collection. The sooner you reach out, the sooner you will reach compliance.
PORTLAND BENCHMARKING RESOURCES
Climate Policy
Portland Climate Policy
Bill Text
Commercial BEPR Ordinance
Ordinance Homepage
Commercial Building Energy Reporting
VCA GREEN IS A PORTLAND AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDER
VCA GREEN PROCESS
With every phase of the process, VCA Green’s experienced and knowledgeable team is here to guide you on the results, options, and path forward to meet your compliance goals.
RELEVANT SERVICES
