Key Dates | Apply for an Extension to August 1, 2023
Apply for an Exemption | Covered Building List
Need Help Benchmarking? | How to Benchmark
Background | Ordinance Development Process
Email [email protected] for assistance
Energy & Water Benchmarking Ordinance
The City of Ann Arbor's City Council unanimously adopted the Energy and Water Benchmarking Ordinance (City Code 104) in October 2021. The ordinance requires that building owners and managers of buildings greater than 20,000 square feet benchmark - or track - their building's energy and water use. This data is reported annually to the City of Ann Arbor through the EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool.
Key Dates
June 1, 2023: Buildings greater than 50,000 square feet are required to submit a benchmarking report to the City of Ann Arbor
Apply for an Extension
60 day extensions are available to all building owners. With an extension, a benchmarking report is due August 1, 2023. Apply for an extension here.
If you are applying for an extension for more than one building, please list the additional addresses/benchmarking IDs in the description box.
Apply for an Exemption
Some buildings are eligible for an exemption for being required to submit a benchmarking report. Apply for an exemption here.
Covered Building List
On June 1, 2023, all buildings greater than 50,000 square feet are required to benchmark to the City. Covered buildings are determined based on information available at the tax parcel level. A tax parcel may contain multiple buildings.
Look up your covered buildings and their Building ID with the Spreadsheet or PDF linked below.:
Ann Arbor Benchmarking Covered Building List
Ann Arbor Benchmarking Covered Building List
Building addresses can be different for multiple purposes, so it is recommended to look up a building using its Tax Parcel ID.
Look up IDs based on address using Map Ann Arbor.
Is your building required to report in 2023? Sign up for notifications and updated regarding your building.
Sign up for notifications
Need Help Benchmarking?
Email [email protected] with questions and for support.
The Ann Arbor 2030 District offers free benchmarking services to member buildings. There is no cost for Property Owner/Manager membership or to benchmark your building(s). Contact the District at [email protected] to learn more.
How to Benchmark
Learn how to use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and submit a benchmarking report with these Benchmarking Resources.
Background
In November 2019, Ann Arbor's City Council unanimously adopted a Climate Emergency Declaration committing to charting a path for how the entire Ann Arbor community could achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2030. In June 2020, City Council unanimously adopted the A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan, a document created with input from thousands of Ann Arborites to lay out seven strategies for our community to achieve carbon neutrality. The A2ZERO Plan ensures that buildings in Ann Arbor - which account for 68% of community-wide greenhouse gas emissions - are as energy and water efficient as possible with one of its seven core strategies.
Benchmarking is an easy way for buildings to measure and manage their energy and water use. The ordinance will help improve the energy efficiency of large buildings across Ann Arbor. Building owners will be able to look across their portfolio to identify opportunities for energy and financial savings, and understand how their buildings are performing relative to buildings of similar characteristics.
The ordinance creates information that will enable better decision-making around building energy use. By providing reliable data to building owners and tenants and consistent information to the market, benchmarking and transparency leads to average energy savings of 2 - 3 percent each year.
Learn more about how benchmarking benefits our community and what the process entails in this overview:
Commercial and Multifamily Benchmarking Process
Ordinance Development Process
The Office of Sustainability and Innovations worked with multiple City units and community stakeholders to develop policy recommendations during 2020 - 2021. Part of this process will include a public comment period. Meeting agendas and slides decks are included below.
Meeting 1: Setting the Context and Framing the Opportunity
November 19, 2020
Slide Deck: Commercial Benchmarking Meeting 1 Slide Deck.pdf
Meeting 2: Benchmarking 101 and Policy Direction
December 4, 2020
Slide Deck: Commercial Benchmarking Meeting 2 Slide Deck.pdf
Meeting 3: Policy Direction
December 17, 2020
Slide Deck: Commercial Benchmarking Meeting 3 Slide Deck.pdf
Meeting 4: Policy Direction
January 8, 2021
Slide Deck: Commercial Benchmarking Meeting 4 Slide Deck.pdf
Deliverable: Commercial and Multifamily Benchmarking Summary Policy Recommendations (PDF, 5 pages)
Commercial and Multifamily Benchmarking Open House
February 4, 2021 from 6 - 8 PM
The Office of Sustainability and Innovations hosted an Open House to introduce and review policy recommendations, hear from guest speakers, and facilitate feedback. A recording of the Open House is available below.
We want to hear from you.
Questions? Comments? Email ben[email protected]
