Office Buildings Lead In Reducing City’s Energy Usage According to Benchmarking Report

With three years of reporting energy benchmarking now in the books, commercial office buildings in the City of Chicago continue to be leading performers in reducing carbon emissions.

The median Energy Star score for office buildings rose from 74 in reporting year 2014 to 79 in reporting year 2015 and again lead all other sectors by 20 points or more.  Commercial office buildings of 250,000 square feet were the first group that had to comply with the three year phase in of the Chicago Energy Benchmarking Ordinance have the longest track record of reporting. Properties that have reported consistently for three consecutive years have reduced energy use by 4%, leading to an estimated savings of $11.6 million per year. This group of buildings have also improved their ENERGY STAR scores by 6.6%. Properties with two consecutive years of reporting  saw a collective energy reduction of 1.9%, saving an estimated $6.2 million per year. Overall, this group improved their ENERGY STAR scores by 7.8%.

The City of Chicago’s Benchmarking Report shows nearly 2,700 buildings reported energy use to City, with buildings located in every neighborhood.  Find the full report here.  BOMA/Chicago members are reminded that energy benchmarking data is due on June 1, 2017.