Building owners will have until November 25th to report, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability to offer ‘office hours.’
Philadelphia, October 30, 2013 – The City of Philadelphia has extended the reporting deadline for owners and/or operators of large commercial buildings in order to comply with the City’s new Building Energy Benchmarking Law. The deadline has been moved from Thursday, October 31 to Monday, November 25, 2013. The extension is being provided because data reporting was unavailable during the recent federal government shutdown.
The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (MOS) will hold open office hours before the November 25 deadline in order to help building owners and managers comply with the new law. MOS will provide assistance at Temple University Center City, 1515 Market Street from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM on the following days: Wednesday, November 6; Friday, November 8; Tuesday, November 12; Wednesday, November 13; and Friday, November 15. These sessions are free, but attendees should RSVP by email to benchmarkinghelp@phila.gov.
The Building Energy Benchmarking Law, which was passed by City Council in June 2012 and signed by Mayor Nutter in August 2012, requires building owners and operators with more than 50,000 square feet of indoor floor space (or mixed-use buildings where at least 50,000 square feet of indoor space is devoted to commercial use) to report annual energy and water consumption using EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Because Portfolio Manager, a free online tool, was unavailable during the recent federal government shutdown, the original compliance deadline of October 31, 2013 has been extended to Monday, November 25, 2013. Fines for non-compliance will go into effect after November 25, 2013.
The City’s benchmarking website provides details on the benefits of benchmarking, the regulations of which were finalized in July 2013, as well as complete reporting instructions for building owners. Hundreds of buildings throughout the city have already reported their energy and water usage, accounting for more than 60 million square feet of floor area.
Full information about Philadelphia Building Energy Benchmarking, , can be found online at http://www.phila.gov/benchmarking. Questions may also be directed via email to benchmarkinghelp@phila.gov.
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