The City of Berkeley Building Emissions Saving Ordinance (BESO), is a citywide energy benchmarking & disclosure program requiring owners of existing buildings to report energy, water, and building use annually, using ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®. Effective as of January 2015, this program provides building owners insight into their building’s energy efficiency and helps meet the City of Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan goals.
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WHAT BUILDINGS ARE COVERED UNDER BERKELEY BESO?
Property Type & Requirement
- Buildings between 850-14,999 Sq. Ft. and 1-4 unit homes require an energy assessment when listed for sale.
- Buildings between 15,000 and 24,999 Sq. Ft. require annual benchmarking and must conduct an energy assessment when listed for sale.
- Buildings 25,000 Sq. Ft. or more require annual benchmarking and an energy assessment every 5 years.
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 BERKELEY BESO BENCHMARKING REPORTS DUE?
July 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.
Under Berkeley BESO buildings 850-24,999 Sq. Ft. must hire a qualified assessor to complete an energy assessment and report before listing the building for sale, and provide it to the City and prospective buyers. Alternatively, sellers may defer the BESO assessment requirement to the buyer.
For buildings 25,000 Sq. Ft. and larger, owners must submit energy assessments every five years and energy benchmarks annually to comply with the Building Emissions Saving Ordinance (BESO). Some buildings qualify for exemptions or deferrals; refer to the summary document for details. Collect verification documentation, such as your ENERGY STAR report or building permit, to submit with your application.
WHEN ARE BERKELEY BESO ASSESSMENTS DUE?
Energy assessments are due every 5 years for buildings over 25,000 Sq. Ft. The first was due July 1, 2019. So, future assessment years will be 2029, 2034, 2039, etc.
Remember, smaller buildings do not need to complete assessments on this cycle. They only need to do so when listing the property for sale.
WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES IF YOU DON'T COMPLY WITH BERKELEY BESO?
Failure to comply with Berkeley BESO can result in an $85 administrative late fee. After 90-day notice, citation penalties range from $100 – $500 per violation, per day.
HOW DO I COMPLY WITH BERKELEY BESO?
CONTACT US HERE to learn more and get started with compliance.
Berkeley BESO 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 BERKELEY BESO COMPLIANCE?
Ordinances such as Berkeley BESO 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.
BERKELEY BESO RESOURCES
VCA GREEN IS A BERKELEY BESO 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.
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