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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.
Learn more about the development of Ann Arbor's Energy and Water Benchmarking Ordinance.
All Properties: Getting Started
Covered Properties (buildings and campuses of buildings) greater than 20,000 square feet are required to submit a benchmarking report to the City of Ann Arbor. Covered Properties are required to submit data for the calendar years below based on their gross floor area.
20,000-49,999 sq. ft.: 2023, 2024 and 2025 calendar years
50,000-99,999 sq. ft.: 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 calendar years
100,000 and greater sq ft.: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 calendar years
On June 1, 2025, all buildings and campuses of buildings greater than 20,000 square feet are required to benchmark to the City. Covered property square footage is estimated based on information available at the tax parcel level.
Properties comprised of more than one building that fall under the following property types may benchmark each building separately but must report all associated buildings to the City of Ann Arbor as a single campus.
Properties that are not one of the property types above should benchmark and report each building separately. Please contact benchmarking@a2gov.org for more information.
Look up your covered property and their Ann Arbor Benchmarking ID using the lists below:
Ann Arbor Benchmarking Covered Building List - 2026 (Excel)
Ann Arbor Benchmarking Covered Building List - 2026 (PDF)
Property and building addresses can be different for multiple purposes, so it is recommended to look up a building using its Tax Parcel ID.
Look up Parcel IDs based on address using Map Ann Arbor.
Is your building required to report in 2026? Complete the Benchmarking Contact Information Form to receive updates on benchmarking your building.
Ann Arbor Benchmarking Compliance Checklist
Follow an overview of the steps to submit a benchmarking report to the City of Ann Arbor.
How to Benchmark with the City of Ann Arbor
Detailed steps for benchmarking and submitting a report.
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Quick Start Guide
Get started using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (ESPM).
Some properties covered by the ordinance by square footage may eligible for an exemption from submitting a benchmarking report. If you believe you may be exempt, complete the Exemption Request Form. Be sure to include any supporting documentation for your request.
Free Benchmarking Services: Washtenaw 2030 District
One of 26 2030 Districts across North America, the Washtenaw 2030 District offers free benchmarking services to their members.
There is no cost to join the Washtenaw 2030 District, for their benchmarking services, or for their assistance automating DTE or City of Ann Arbor water data uploads.
Direct Support from City Staff
If you require additional assistance and prefer to discuss your inquiry by Teams, Zoom, or phone, City Staff are available for one-on-one assistance.
Call staff at 734.794.6000 x 43743, email benchmarking@a2gov.org, or schedule a Zoom/Teams meeting with staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
See the most frequently asked questions about benchmarking before starting to your report.
Step-by-Step Videos
Step-by-step how to videos for the key steps to benchmark are available on the City's YouTube channel.
New Properties
Create a Benchmarking Profile and Report
Follow the steps below to benchmark and submit your report. Step by step instructions are available in our How to Benchmark Guide
1. Create an ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (ESPM) Profile
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (ESPM) is the tool used to benchmark and submit benchmarking reports. the tool is run by the EPA and is free to use.
Follow these guides to set up your property profile.
ESPM: How to Set Up Your Property Guide
ESPM: How to Set Up Your Property Video Training
Setting up your property profile requires entering basic, but specific information about your property. ESPM offers a simple tool to search what information is needed to create your property profile, based on the primary use of your property.
2. Gather DTE Electricity & Natural Gas Usage
DTE offers whole-building, or whole-property, aggregate data through the DTE Energy Data Hub, a free tool offered by DTE. The Energy Data Hub provides the whole-building, or whole-property data required to benchmark, and it can connect directly to ESPM. Once a property is enrolled in the Energy Data Hub, the Energy Data Hub can connect to ESPM and upload the required data to ESPM, monthly.
To enroll in the Energy Data Hub, follow the steps below.
The Energy Data Hub will provide DTE energy usage for all accounts at the property, including tenants who hold their own DTE accounts.
If your property has 14 or fewer tenants, DTE requires authorization from all tenants before DTE will provide aggregate, whole-building energy data. Building owners are required to request this authorization from their tenants using the following process:
DTE Energy Data Hub: Login Website
3. Gather Constellation Electricity & Natural Gas Usage
Some building owners may use Constellation Energy, a choice natural gas provider. Constellation gas usage can be downloaded from a property's online Constellation account, then uploaded to ESPM.
Follow the steps below to download and upload Constellation usage, yourself.
Constellation Natural Gas Benchmarking Guide: How to download and upload data
Constellation Natural Gas Data Template
If you have trouble obtaining the Constellation usage required through your online account, contact benchmarking@a2gov.org. City Staff can assist in obtaining this information.
4. Gather City of Ann Arbor Water Usage
City of Ann Arbor Water usage can be manually downloaded, then uploaded to ESPM. The City has also created a process to automatically received water usage. Follow the steps below to manually or automatically upload water usage to ESPM.
Benchmarking Water Data Guide
Benchmarking Water Meter Tracker
If you have trouble obtaining water usage, contact City Staff at benchmarking@a2gov.org.
Connect your property profile in ESPM to an ESPM operated by the City of Ann Arbor to automate your annual benchmarking report.
Once your property is connected, you will not have to generate and submit an annual report each year, nor will you need to resubmit a report if issues are identified and fixed. Follow the steps 1-5 in pages 9-13 in the How to Benchmark with the City of Ann Arbor guide.
Manually submit a benchmarking report. You will have to repeat this process each year and if you need to fix any errors in your report
Returning Properties
Properties who have already submitted one or more benchmarking reports do not need to complete all the steps they completed in past years. Properties who are not benchmarking for the first time should follow the steps below to complete their submission due June 1, 2026.
Log in to your ESPM account to ensure you still have access. If you cannot remember your login information, use the "I forgot my password" or "I forgot my username" functions on ESPM's login page.
2. Check Your 2025 Calendar Year Data
Use ESPM's built-in data quality checker to confirm you have complete 2025 calendar year energy and water usage. To do this:
3. Confirm Automated Data is Updated
DTE (electricity and natural gas) and the City of Ann Arbor (water) offer free data automation. If you are taking advantage of this automation, your calendar 2025 energy and water usage will automatically update prior to the June 1, 2026 submission deadline.
Due to billing cycle delays, December 2025 usage may not be uploaded until late February 2026. If you do not see December 2025 usage uploaded in January 2026, this is expected. If you do not see December 2025 data uploaded by March 2026, notify City Staff so they can correct any issues with City or DTE data automations that could affect multiple properties.
4. Notify City Staff or Your Benchmarking Service Provider of Missing Data
If energy or water data is missing for the 2025 calendar year, notify your benchmarking service provider or City Staff so they can assist you in correcting your report.
5. Check for Compliance Confirmation
Once your calendar year 2025 data is uploaded, whether manually or automatically, the City's compliance tracking software will notify you when your property is determined to be compliant. You will receive an email confirming this from benchmarking@a2gov.org.
If you believe your 2025 calendar year energy and water usage is complete, and you have not received email confirmation of compliance, contact City Staff to confirm if further action is needed.
Looking for a Benchmarking Report?
The City of Ann Arbor Energy and Water Benchmarking Map is an interactive map where you can locate annual benchmarking reports for individual properties covered by the Benchmarking Ordinance.
Annual Reports
Questions? Comments? Email benchmarking@a2gov.org
Need Assistance?
Contact the City's Benchmarking Support Team
Email: benchmarking@a2gov.org
Phone: 734.794.6000 x 43743
OR
Schedule a 60-minute meeting
Schedule a 30-minute meeting
