Energy Benchmarking

Benchmarking data for the 2022 calendar year is due by July 1st, 2023.

Seattle's Energy Benchmarking Law (Seattle Municipal Code 22.920) requires owners of non-residential and multifamily buildings (20,000 square feet or larger) to track energy performance and annually report to the City of Seattle.

The City of Seattle annually publishes building energy performance data from more than 3500 of Seattle's largest commercial and residential buildings representing 375 million square feet at data.seattle.gov and through a data visualization site to facilitate transparency in the market and spur demand for energy efficiency.

**Notice of Violations Issued to Buildings Owners for Failure to Submit 2021 Benchmarking Reports**

A full year of accurate 2021 performance data was due to the City of Seattle by July 1, 2022. Building owners who failed to submit a 2021 benchmarking report by the end of the extended enforcement grace period (January 2, 2023) were issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) with accrued penalties for continued non-compliance based on building size (Buildings 20,000 to 49,999 SF - $1,000 fine; Buildings 50,000 SF or greater - $2,000 fine). More information on enforcement and the appeals process here.

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Recent Benchmarking News

Seattle has reached a milestone of providing more than 1,000 rebates and no-cost upgrades to help low-to-middle income switch to an energy-efficient electric heat pump!

The City of Seattle has hit another milestone in its commitment to environmental and climate justice and a greener city – reaching 1,000 rebates offered to transition homes from oil-to-electric heat! Targeting climate pollution in buildings is one [...]

June 16: Join OSE for the Second Building Performance Standards Online Open House

Developing a successful Seattle Building Performance Standards (BPS) policy will require understanding and offering solutions to meet the challenges – technical, financial, operational, or otherwise – that building owners, [...]

Exploring Building Performance Standards: A New Policy to Reduce Building Sector Emissions

In Seattle, buildings are one of the largest and fastest growing sources of climate pollution, responsible for more than a third of our City’s greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions pollute our air, accelerate climate change, and harm [...]

2021 Energy Benchmark Reports Due July 1

Energy performance (benchmarks) for the 2021 calendar year must be updated in Portfolio Manager by July 1, 2022 for all multifamily and non-residential buildings 20,000 SF or larger. To be in compliance, your building’s Portfolio Manager account [...]

White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory Visits Seattle to Talk Buildings and Climate

The buildings we live and work in are responsible for more than 1/3rd of Seattle’s climate pollution, primarily due to the on-site burning of fossil fuels such as fracked gas and oil for heating, hot water and appliances. OSE’s Buildings & [...]

Seattle’s Building Emissions are Rising – Here’s What the Data Tells Us

Seattle’s buildings are responsible for more than one-third of the city’s core greenhouse gas emissions – and rising. According to the most recent greenhouse gas inventory, climate-polluting emissions in buildings increased 8% between 2016 [...]