Property Size

Any building 50,000 Sq. Ft. or above, and buildings participating in the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) program.

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.

June 30, 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.

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.

Philadelphia requires Building Tune-ups which is a document summarizing the energy and water performance issues identified in an initial inspection and demonstrates those issues were resolved via corrective action. Corrective action means adjustments and minor repairs to existing building equipment.

Tune-ups must be conducted by a Professional Engineer or Certified Energy Manager.

Owners may be exempt from performing tune-ups if:

• The building received an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or more in the last year
• The building in the last three years has either:
  • Received a green building certification
  • Completed a retro-commissioning procedure
  • Achieved energy savings of at least 15% and sent a verified report to the office of sustainability
  • Undergone an energy audit no less stringent than ASHRAE Level II and implemented all no-cost/low-cost efficiency measures
  • Received its initial certificate of occupancy
• The building already has in place active optimization efforts, including monitoring and ongoing commissioning
• The building is scheduled to be demolished within one year of the deadline

Tune-up Due Dates:

Tune-up reports, plans, and certifications are due every five years. Current cycle is as follows:

• Buildings over 200,000 sq. ft. in 2026.
• Buildings between 100,000 and 200,000 sq. ft. in 2027.
• Buildings between 70,000 and 100,000 sq. ft. in 2028.
• Buildings between 50,000 and 70,000 sq. ft. in 2029.

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.

Philadelphia does not require data verification at this time.

Benchmarking Penalties

Violations of Philadelphia’s benchmarking ordinance will result in a $300 fine. Building owners will be fined $100 per day thereafter until in compliance.

Tune-up Penalties

Violations of Philadelphia’s tune-up program will result in a $2,000 fine. Building owners will be fined $500 per day thereafter until in compliance.

CONTACT US HERE to learn more and get started with compliance.

Philadelphia Building Energy Performance 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.

Ordinances such as Philadelphia BEPP 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.