The City of Honolulu Better Buildings Benchmarking (Ordinance 22-17) is a citywide energy and water benchmarking disclosure program requiring owners of existing buildings 25,000 Sq. Ft. and above to report energy and water use annually, using ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®. Effective as of July 2022, this program provides building owners with insight into their building’s energy efficiency and helps meet the City of Honolulu’s Climate Action Plan goals.
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WHAT BUILDINGS ARE COVERED UNDER HONOLULU BENCHMARKING?
Property Size
Commercial and multifamily buildings over 25,000 Sq. Ft.
WHAT INFORMATION IS REQUIRED FOR BENCHMARKING?
Annual benchmarking reporting requires 12 calendar months of whole-building electric, gas, water, and building use data. For example, in 2025, building owners must report 12 months of 2024 data.
WHEN ARE HONOLULU BENCHMARKING REPORTS DUE?
June 30, annually. The 2025 benchmarking deadline was extended to September 30.
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.
Honolulu does not have a BPS program at this time.
WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES IF YOU DON'T COMPLY WITH HONOLULU BENCHMARKING?
Failure to comply with Honolulu’s Better Building Benchmarking program (Ordinance 22-17) or reporting false or incomplete data will result in a written notice of violation. Failure to correct the violation within 60 days of the notice will result in a $1,000 fine. The building owner will also be fined $100 per day thereafter until the violation has been resolved.
HOW DO I COMPLY WITH HONOLULU BENCHMARKING?
CONTACT US HERE to learn more and get started with compliance.
Honolulu Better Buildings Benchmarking compliance can be confusing and hard to navigate. Bringing on a consultant like Green Econome 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 HONOLULU BENCHMARKING COMPLIANCE?
Ordinances such as Honolulu Better Buildings Benchmarking are already in effect across the country. Accurate benchmarking can take between 3-6 months to complete. Collecting utility data, conducting tenant outreach, and retrieving historical building data (if needed) takes time, especially when coordinating with property managers and utilities.
Waiting until the last minute risks missing compliance windows, resulting in fines and enforcement penalties. Green Econome takes every measure to ensure complete and accurate data collection. The sooner you reach out, the sooner you will reach compliance.
HONOLULU BENCHMARKING RESOURCES
Climate Policy
Honolulu Climate Action Plan 2020-2025
Bill Text
Honolulu Ordinance No. 22-17
Ordinance Homepage
Honolulu Better Buildings Benchmarking Ordinance
GREEN ECONOME PROCESS
With every phase of the process, Green Econome’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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