The City of Pittsburgh Building 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 October 2016, this program provides building owners insight into their building’s energy efficiency and helps meet the City of Pittsburgh’s Climate Action Plan goals.
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WHAT BUILDINGS ARE COVERED UNDER PITTSBURGH BENCHMARKING?
Covered Buildings
Non-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 PITTSBURGH 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.
Pittsburgh does not have a BPS program at this time.
WHAT IS THIRD-PARTY DATA VERIFICATION?
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.
Pittsburgh does not require third-party data verification.
WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES IF YOU DON'T COMPLY WITH PITTSBURGH BENCHMARKING?
Buildings will be disclosed publicly showing whether they are required to benchmark, and whether they have complied or not. There are no financial penalties at this time.
HOW DO I COMPLY WITH PITTSBURGH BENCHMARKING?
CONTACT US HERE to learn more and get started with compliance.
Pittsburgh Building 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 PITTSBURGH BENCHMARKING COMPLIANCE?
Ordinances such as Pittsburgh Building 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.
PITTSBURGH BENCHMARKING RESOURCES
Climate Policy
Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan
Bill Text
Pittsburgh Ord. No. 29-2016
Ordinance Homepage
City of Pittsburgh Building 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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