Fort Collins Building Energy and Water Scoring (BEWS) is a citywide energy benchmarking & disclosure program requiring owners of existing buildings to report energy and water use annually, using ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®. Effective as of December 2018, this program provides building owners insight into their building’s energy efficiency and helps meet the City of Fort Collins’ Climate Action Plan goals.
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WHAT BUILDINGS ARE COVERED UNDER FORT COLLINS BEWS?
Property Size
Commercial buildings 5,000 Sq. Ft. or larger.
WHAT INFORMATION IS REQUIRED FOR BENCHMARKING?
Annual benchmarking reporting requires 12 calendar months of whole-building energy, water, and building use data. For example, in 2025, building owners must report 12 months of 2024 data.
WHEN ARE FORT COLLINS BEWS BENCHMARKING REPORTS DUE?
June 1, 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.
Fort Collins does not currently have a BPS program.
WHAT IS THIRD-PARTY DATA VERIFICATION?
Third-party data verification requires owners/managers of covered buildings to hire a third-party expert who will independently review and verify the building’s benchmarking data.
Under Fort Collins BEWS, data verification is not required to be completed by a third party. However, building owners must run their data through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager’s data quality checker.
WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES IF YOU DON'T COMPLY WITH FORT COLLINS BEWS?
Failure to comply with Fort Collins BEWS can result in a fine up to $3,000 per year of non-compliance.
HOW DO I COMPLY WITH FORT COLLINS BEWS?
CONTACT US HERE to learn more and get started with compliance.
Fort Collins Building Energy and Water Scoring (BEWS) 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 FORT COLLINS BEWS COMPLIANCE?
Ordinances such as Fort Collins BEWS 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.
FORT COLLINS BEWS RESOURCES
Climate Policy
Fort Collins Climate Action Plan
Bill Text
Fort Collins Article XI
Ordinance Homepage
Fort Collins Building Energy and Water Scoring
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.
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