The City believes that benchmarking is an important best management practice and public disclosure of building energy performance promotes transparency and accountability. Sharing benchmarking data on a large scale will open up a conversation among all stakeholders and allow everyone to work toward common energy goals by recognizing and rewarding efficiency. A building’s energy efficiency score is similar to a miles per gallon (MPG) rating for cars or nutritional labels for food. With transparent scores, buyers and tenants are able to make better-informed decisions about buildings they live and work in based on energy use and estimated utility cost. More energy efficient spaces have been shown to lower energy bills, improve tenant comfort, reduce asthma rates and increase overall productivity. All these factors make energy-efficient buildings more appealing for current and prospective tenants and future buyers.
