The Complete Guide To San Jose Benchmarking And Why Your Company Needs It

 

San Jose, California's incredible entrepreneurial energy has enabled a commitment to energy benchmarking that is unmatched among other cities around the globe. In the words of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo "innovation isn't just about embracing new technology – it’s also understanding how to use current tools and technologies more effectively."

This commitment to improved efficiency and reduced waste through intelligent data-driven innovation offers unprecedented potential for local businesses. From greater savings on electricity bills to decreased emissions from buildings, energy benchmarking can lead to countless measurable improvements in the way businesses manage their resources.

As an already globally recognized city for its innovation, San Jose stands to benefit even further as businesses continue to ingrain data-driven decision making into every aspect of their operations. To get started with your own energy benchmarking journey, join our program now - it's easy right away!

What Is San Jose Benchmarking?

San Jose Benchmarking is an important free tool for building owners in the city who want to benchmark their properties’ energy and water efficiency and become more sustainable.

This innovative program, which is part of the Building Performance Ordinance implemented by the City of San Jose, uses energy tracking technology to assess performance levels in buildings as well as to identify potential upgrades leaders can consider.

Through regular energy benchmarking, businesses within San Jose can lower their energy usage and reduce their bills while also decreasing their carbon footprint, demonstrating their commitment to sustainability.

Energy And Water Building Performance Ordinance

San Jose has committed itself to a greener, brighter future with the adoption of the progressive city initiative known as Building Performance Ordinance (BPO).

This ordinance not only upholds CA Assembly Bill 802 and is part of the Climate Smart San Jose program, but it also provides individuals, businesses and building owners alike with a crucial way of caring for the environment.

Through following both city and state regulations set out by BPO, San Joseans can reduce air pollution, conserve water with gas water heaters or tankless water heaters, insulating hot water pipes and enjoy an improved quality of life.

With this ordinance in place, building owners no longer need to report their Energy and Water Performance to the California Energy Commission (CEC), as they now have both responsibility and opportunity to report directly to the City.

By joining forces with San Jose's mission towards a sustainable future, we are living up to our promise of cleaner energy, water use intensity conservation and improved standards of living.

Who Is Required To Comply With San Jose Benchmarking?

Property owners of non-residential and multifamily buildings in San José of 20,000 square feet or more have a civic duty to adhere to the benchmarking procedures set by San José's regulatory body, the Building's Performance Ordinance (BPO).

These procedures involve tracking energy and water consumption through the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® platform, with the data shared with the City of San José for compliance verification.

As part of this responsibility, these property owners are actively driving sustainability efforts that contribute to conserving resources on behalf of San Francisco and San José citizens.

The benchmarking and tracking process implemented by BPO is ultimately aiming to promote practices that best conserve our natural resources and secure a brighter future for everyone.

Benefits Of San Jose Energy Benchmarking

Let's check out the benefits of creating a defined process for San Jose benchmarking:

Improved Energy Efficiency

San Jose benchmarking gives you a better understanding of your facility’s energy usage. Identifying where and how energy is being used can help you develop strategies to reduce consumption and improve efficiency.

Lower Utility Bills

By taking advantage of the insights gained from benchmarking, you can reduce energy use and lower your utility bills.

Increased Comfort

Benchmarking allows you to identify areas where comfort levels can be improved through better HVAC management.

Increased Building Value

Your building’s value is directly correlated to its weather normalized site energy efficiency. By conducting regular benchmarking, you can ensure that your building remains competitive in the real estate market.

Reduced Carbon Footprint

By improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption, you can reduce the amount of CO2 emissions from your building. This will help you meet sustainability goals and reduce your environmental impact.

Penalties For Non-Compliance with San Jose Benchmarking

In San Jose, property owners must create it a top priority to meet local benchmarking regulations or risk costly fines. For those with smaller buildings, they face calculated mean penalty of $25 a day with a maximum of $2500 each reporting year and previous years.

It's even more important for those with larger structures to act fast and double the effort - as the fee rises to $50 daily up to an annual total of $5000. Allowing your building to breach these standards carries financial repercussions and runs counter to sustainable and eco-friendly practices.

Therefore, adhering to these regulations is essential in avoiding hefty fines and staying afloat within city boundaries.

San Jose Benchmarking Trends For 2023

San Jose city council recently took strides to ensure their commitment towards improved energy efficiency and greener living by extending their baseline year for monitoring key sustainability factors. Benchmarking identifies and tracks the performance of such indicators, enabling a probability evaluation process to assess the improvement rate. The Performance Verification reports generated in March 2021 are essential for providing accurate baseline data to measure the efficiency gains achieved in that reporting year. San Jose's decision to prioritize benchmarking can be seen as a vital step towards encouraging more efficient energy use habits while bolstering their sustainable development goals.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many benefits to benchmarking data. If you would like help analyzing and incorporating your company's benchmarking data, please contact us. We are happy to offer a complimentary consultation to get you started. Thanks for reading and we hope this article was helpful!