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So, you just received your phase I benchmarking report back – now what? After completing your building’s benchmarking, you have the foundation needed to understand how the building is performing. This baseline is what is required in all building performance ordinances, and it’s key to understand where you are now, and where you can go with it.

Having a comprehensive benchmarking report prepares you perfectly for phase II audits and retrofits. With all the preliminary information in hand, let’s dive into what happens next.

What is Phase II?

If you benchmarked for LA EBEWE Phase I, then you should be looking at Phase II Audit and Retro-commissioning (A/RCx) requirements. If your building does not meet an exemption, you will need an ASHRAE Level II audit. These energy and water audits summarize your building’s performance and then take a detailed account of the specific conditions of your building. Each report identifies room for growth with a cost-benefit analysis of various retrofits that you could complete.

With compliance being required every 5 years, we have found that our clients are best off investing in retrofits to improve their property and qualify for an exemption rather than spending thousands on audits to remain compliant but not gain the value of becoming more efficient.

Across all ordinances with building performance standards (BPS), this second phase is one of the key parts of your local government’s strategy to meet climate action goals. And if a BPS hasn’t already been implemented in your city or state, you can expect it to be in the future as more governments adopt these programs.

It’s important to remember that this audit benefits your building. On average, 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted, and identifying these inefficiencies presents an opportunity to significantly reduce your operating costs.

Improving Efficiency

Once you have someone complete the audit, you will have a clear understanding of where your building is struggling and what type of project it would benefit from. This is where retrofits come into play.

A great example is a large aerospace company was looking to reduce their energy usage at their manufacturing plants. After upgrading their lighting to LED, incorporating occupancy sensors, and installing more efficient HVAC equipment, we were able to reduce their energy cost by 25%.

We live for projects like that. There are thousands of buildings who benchmark just for compliance sake without using that valuable data to drive high-return improvement projects. Not only are they missing out on savings, but they are having to spend the money unnecessarily on audits moving forward. If you want to see an example of an audit, reach out to us and we can walk you through one!

Why Should I Care?

Beyond the environmental benefits of making your property as efficient as possible, your business becomes future-proofed and saves on costs.

Future Proofing

Efficient buildings ensure long-run operational reliability. While others are paying obscene amounts of money for rising energy costs, you will be doing the opposite while protecting the viability of your investment. And as your local government continues establishing building efficiency regulations, you will be eligible for compliance exemptions having already completed your retrofit.

Cost Saving

In terms of immediate effects, inefficient buildings are expensive. If your benchmarking revealed obvious inefficiencies, a level II audit and potential retrofit can remedy the issue. These don’t have to be intrusive projects. We start with no or low-cost adjustments, then make the best recommendations based on our cost-benefit analysis. Sometimes, it can be as small as a new thermostat system that can make improvements.

Getting Started

If you feel like all of this is confusing, that’s because it is. Every term has its own rabbit hole of information that could leave you with more questions than answers. That’s where we thrive. We manage this whole process for you. Starting with benchmarking, then the audit and our free follow-up consultation to walk you through the important takeaways.

Green Econome, a woman-owned, full-service energy and water efficiency construction and consulting company, has over 20 years of combined experience. We can help explain these complicated tax benefits and make sure your property is getting the most from them. Furthermore, we can recommend solutions that will increase the NOI of your property and increase market value. Feel free to reach out to Green Econome’s founder and CEO, Marika Erdely, at [email protected].