The City of Minneapolis Energy Benchmarking 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 June 2014, this program provides building owners insight into their building’s energy efficiency and helps meet the City of Minneapolis’ Climate Action Plan goals.
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WHAT BUILDINGS ARE COVERED UNDER MINNEAPOLIS BENCHMARKING?
Property Size
Commercial buildings and residential buildings 50,000 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 MINNEAPOLIS 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.
Minneapolis requires low performing buildings (ENERGY STAR score of less than 75 or is on the city’s low performing building list) to conduct an ASHRAE Level I Audit or perform a tune-up to base building systems every 5 years.
WHEN ARE MINNEAPOLIS ENERGY EVALUATIONS DUE?
Energy evaluations must be submitted by low performing buildings by June 1. Once conducted, they are good for 5 years.
WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES IF YOU DON'T COMPLY WITH MINNEAPOLIS BENCHMARKING?
Missing the June 1 deadline will result in a $200 fine and two weeks to submit the data or get an extension. If you miss the two week deadline, the fine will be doubled and this process will repeat up to 4 times.
Any unpaid fines will be added to the building’s property taxes.
HOW DO I COMPLY WITH MINNEAPOLIS BENCHMARKING?
CONTACT US HERE to learn more and get started with compliance.
Minneapolis Benchmarking 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 MINNEAPOLIS BENCHMARKING COMPLIANCE?
Ordinances such as Minneapolis Benchmarking 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.
MINNEAPOLIS BENCHMARKING RESOURCES
Climate Policy
Minneapolis Climate Equity Plan
Bill Text
Minneapolis Title 3 47.190
Ordinance Homepage
Minneapolis Energy Benchmarking
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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