In Rockville, buildings and transportation are the largest consumers of energy and the largest generators of greenhouse gas emissions. Becoming more energy-efficient and using green energy sources can not only save money, but help minimize the effects of climate change.
Energy benchmarking is the process of measuring a building’s energy use over time. This allows owners and occupants to understand their building’s energy performance relative to similar buildings and helps identify opportunities to cut energy waste.
Rockville property owners must comply with the Montgomery County Benchmarking Law:
Prior to 2023, owners of certain types of non-residential buildings 50,000 square feet and greater, or a group of buildings that share a parcel (have the same Tax ID) that are collectively 50,000 square feet or greater, are required to benchmark energy use in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager;
The law was amended to drop the benchmarking square footage threshold to 25,000 gross square feet and add multifamily and previously-exempted building types like warehouses and self-storage facilities. These buildings must report calendar year 2022 data by June 1, 2023.
Data must be verified by a Recognized Data Verifier the first year and every three years thereafter; and
Report data to Montgomery County annually by June 1st for public disclosure.
