U.S. Policies
Building Energy Benchmarking and Disclosure Policies in the U.S.
Seven cities and two states in the U.S. have passed policies requiring the benchmarking and disclosure of energy use in existing buildings. Still new and being phased in, these policies will soon affect roughly 4 billion square feet of floor space in major real estate markets—making them powerful catalysts for energy efficiency in the built environment.
Benchmarking means measuring a building’s energy use and then comparing it to the average for similar buildings. Benchmarking allows direct comparisons by accounting for variables such as local climate, occupancy levels, and operating hours.
Current regulations vary in terms of the types and sizes of buildings they affect and the forms of disclosure they require. To learn more about individual policies, consult the policy briefs on our sister website BuildingRating.org:
- California
- Washington, DC
- Austin, Texas
- Washington State
- New York City
- Seattle
- San Francisco
- Philadelphia
- Minneapolis (coming soon)
IMT offers expert assistance and research to city and state governments as they craft, adopt, and implement benchmarking and disclosure policies. Learn more about our work on the Policy Development & Implementation page.
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Seven cities and two states have adopted energy rating and disclosure laws. While all of them require building owners to track their properties' energy use, the laws vary regarding the size and type of buildings they affect; whether the energy use data must be disclosed publicly, or just to potential tenants or buyers; and other factors. View the policy map and graphics on our website BuildingRating.org to see what's required, where.