OVERDUE BUILDINGS - 2011 Building Energy Use Reporting

Warning letters were mailed in November 2012 to owners and/or managers of non-residential buildings 50,000 square feet (sf) or larger that missed the building energy use reporting deadline of April 1, 2012 and multifamily buildings 50,000 square feet (sf) or larger that missed the building energy use reporting deadline of October 1, 2012 (Ordinance 123226 and 123993).

To be in compliance, a full year of 2011 building energy use must be tracked through U.S. EPA's Portfolio Manager and reported to the City of Seattle. If energy performance data for 2011 is not received, the following fines will be imposed:

• $3,000 on owners of non-residential buildings 50,000 square feet (sf) or larger, if not received by January 1, 2013
• $1,000 on owners of multifamily buildings 50,000 square feet (sf) or larger, if not received by
  January 18, 2013

Learn how to comply:

• Buildings Subject to Ordinance
• How to Comply
• Get Support
• Exemptions
• Notice Error / How to Check Your Compliance
• No Longer Building Owner
• Ordinance Enforcement
  
  
  

Buildings Subject to Ordinance

The warning letters list the City of Seattle of Building ID number, name, address, and square footage of buildings out of compliance.

The following lists show ALL buildings, regardless of whether they are in compliance:

• List of 50,000 SF or greater non-residential buildings (Phase 1- Due April 1, 2012)
  • Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (.xlsx) [last updated 10.02.12]
  • Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) [last updated 10.02.12]
    
    
• List of 50,000 SF or greater multifamily buildings (Phase 2 - Due October 1, 2012)
  • Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (.xlsx) [last updated 10.02.12]
  • Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) [last updated 10.02.12]
    
    
• List of 20,000 to 49,999 SF non-residential and multifamily buildings (Phase 3 - Due April 1, 2013)
  • Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet (.xlsx) [last updated 10.02.12]
  • Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) [last updated 10.02.12]

The lists above DO NOT indicate whether buildings are currently in compliance.

> Return to Top of Page

How to Comply

Follow the steps in the How to Comply section to benchmark and report to the City.

IMPORTANT:

• If you already use Portfolio Manager to benchmark your building(s), DO NOT delete your account(s). Simply follow step 4 in the How to Comply section to report your data to the City. WE HAVE FOUND THAT MANY BUILDING OWNERS HAVE MISSED THIS LAST STEP, AND/OR HAVE ENTERED THE WRONG BUILDING ID.
  
  
• If you have already set up automated benchmarking services (ABS) for utlities serving your building (Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy or Seattle Steam) DO NOT delete any meters and DO NOT disconnect or change any authorizations set up with utilities. Follow steps 3 and 4 in the How to Comply section to complete ABS set-up and report your 2011 energy use data to the City.

> Return to Top of Page

Get Support

• Our Helpline is staffed from 8:00-5:00 Mon-Fri. Call 206-727-8484 or email EnergyBenchmarking@seattle.gov.
• Drop-in help is available on Wednesdays from 11am-1pm at Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Ave., 18th floor.
• Prefer to hire a pro to benchmark? The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC), a non-profit energy efficiency trade association, maintains a directory of local businesses that can benchmark your building(s).

> Return to Top of Page

Exemptions

Manufacturing / Industry: Buildings used primarily for manufacturing or industrial purposes are exempt; however, you must apply for an exemption. Learn how to apply >

Campus: A campus is generally defined as a collection of facilities that are located within the same geographical area and have energy and/or water meters that are shared across multiple facilities within the campus. Although campuses still need to benchmark, there are special instructions. Learn more>

> Return to Top of Page

Notice Error / How to Check Your Compliance

Already Complied? To be compliant for 2012 reporting, a full year of 2011 building energy use data must be reported to the City. Please confirm the following in your Portfolio Manager account:

1. On the Facility Summary page, under Facility Performance, look for "Site Energy Intensity" and "Source Energy Intensity" scores for December 2011 at a minimum to be in compliance with the April 2012 reporting deadline (see example). A 1-100 building rating will be listed if your building is an eligible type or show as N/A if it is not.
   
   
2. On the Facility Summary page, in the Space Use section, check that that the floor area (square footage) and space use of your building are accurate.
   
   
3. On the Facility Summary page, in the Energy Meters section, verify that City of Seattle Annual Reporting (Read Only) is shown in the Read/Write column for all meters (SCL and or PSE will also be listed in the column).
   
   
4. Lastly, check that your building is authorized for City of Seattle Annual Reporting in the Automated Benchmarking Services (ABS) Console in Portfolio Manager. (The City of Seattle Building ID listed on your warning letter is used for making the authorization.)
   
   
5. In the ABS Console, check that the Energy Service Provider Status fields show Connected to ESP for all service providers (see example). Also click on View Pending Authorizations to open it. There should be no pending authorizations or error messages.

If you have checked the above and want to confirm your compliance with the City, for quickest service, please email the following to the Helpline at EnergyBenchmarking@seattle.gov or call 206-727-8484:

1. City of Seattle of Building ID
2. Portfolio Manager Username (used to login to Portfolio Manager)
3. Portfolio Manager Facility Name (what you called your building in Portfolio Manager)
4. Building Address
5. Name of benchmarking service provider (if used)
6. Phone number and a time to reach you

NOTE: Technical support will verify compliance for building owners. To ensure privacy, third party requests should copy the building owner, provide the Portfolio Manager Username and the City of Seattle Building ID.

We will look up the building in our records to help troubleshoot the issue and contact you.

No Longer Own Building

No longer own or manage the building? Please email the following information to the Helpline at EnergyBenchmarking@seattle.gov or call 206-727-8484:

• City of Seattle of Building ID (above address on overdue notice)
• Your Name and Address
• Building Address
• Name of new owner or manager (if known)

We will update the building contact information in our records and contact you if necessary.

> Return to Top of Page

Ordinance Enforcement

Our primary goal with this new program is to help owners successfully benchmark their buildings to encourage owners to ultimately identify and implement energy efficiency improvements. Failure to report energy use to the City of Seattle, however, is subject to enforcement. Learn more about enforcement >

> Return to Top of Page