The State of California has some of the most aggressive energy efficiency laws in the Nation. In pursuit of these efforts, the California Public Utilities Commission was recently authorized to collect energy data from owners and managers of large buildings through Assembly Bill No. 802 (AB 802). This bill makes energy benchmarking mandatory, and collecting customer data through the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is one way in which compliance is achieved.
The bill mainly applies to non-residential and multi-family buildings over 50,000 sq. ft. (with certain exceptions). Owners must report their ENERGY STAR score to the California Energy Commission every two years. Financial incentives (such as direct or indirect rebates and monetary assistance) will be available to building owners to deliver their efficiency ratings on time, but the bill does not require buildings to improve efficiencies. Most of the bill’s language discusses the intent behind AB 802 (which, to summarize, is to help conserve energy and make sure consumers aren’t overspending due to wasteful practices on part of their respective utility company). The rest of the bill discusses the methods in which the Commission may collect data, of which customer billing is only one of them. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is the reporting platform utilized for these building owners to comply. For more information on this bill, click here: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB802
To find out if your building must comply, please contact us today:
Moe Fakih
mfakih@vca-green.com
714-363-4700
VCA Green
1845 W. Orangewood Ave., Suite 220
Orange, CA 92868