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Sustainability & Resilience

Building Energy Savings Program

The City of Madison adopted the new Building Energy Savings program (BESP) in March 2023 to improve energy efficiency in large commercial buildings community-wide through energy benchmarking and tune-ups. The program has two requirements:

  1. All non-residential commercial buildings 25,000 square feet (sq. ft.) or more are required to benchmark energy use annually using EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.  
  2. All non-residential commercial buildings 50,000 sq. ft. or more are also required to complete a building tune-up every four years.

The program is being phased in over time according to building size as shown below.

Building Size (gross floor area)First Benchmarking YearFirst Tune-up Year
Large buildings:  >100,000 sq. ft.20242025
Medium buildings:  50,000 - 99,999 sq. ft.20252026
Small buildings:  25,000 - 49,999 sq. ft.2026Not required
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2024 Covered Buildings List

Check this list to see if your building needs to begin benchmarking this year.

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Building Owner Portal

Log in to claim your building(s) and report benchmarking data.

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Building Owner Guide

Start benchmarking with this step-by-step guide.

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Benchmarking Demo

This video demonstrates each step of the benchmarking and reporting process. 

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Help Desk

Visit our Help Desk to find answers to common questions and request help if you need it.

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Virtual Trainings

Sign up for a virtual training that walks participants through the benchmarking and reporting process. 

Reporting Deadlines

The 2024 reporting deadline for benchmarking has been extended until September 6. Only large commercial buildings (>100,000 square feet) are required to benchmark energy use in 2024.

In future years, the reporting deadline for benchmarking will be June 30, and the reporting deadline for tune-ups will be October 31.

Program Launch Timeline

  1. Covered Buildings List Available

    The City will make available the list of buildings >100,000 square feet and larger that are required to begin benchmarking in 2024. 

  2. Building Owner Portal Available

    Building owners will have access to the online platform that will guide them through the process of benchmarking and reporting. The platform will include training materials and a help desk.

  3. Virtual Trainings

    The City is hosting virtual training sessions that walk participants through the benchmarking and reporting process. There are five options available, each providing the same content and information. Come learn about the program and get all of your questions answered.

    Five trainings are currently scheduled for 12:00-1:30p on May 22, June 5, June 12, June 18, and June 26.

    Visit our Eventbrite page to sign up for a training. 

  4. 2024 Benchmarking Deadline

  5. Building Reports Provided

    The City will provide customized reports and recommendations for building owners and managers, including information on resources building owners can use to improve energy performance such as rebates, incentives, and financing.

Program Basics

Energy benchmarking is simply measuring and tracking annual energy use. Importantly, benchmarking does not require a building to meet a prescribed level of energy use. Rather, the information that benchmarking provides helps building owners and managers make more informed decisions about building operations and actions to save energy and money.

Similar to tuning up a car, building tune-ups check and adjust building energy systems, like lighting and HVAC controls, once every four years to make sure existing systems are performing at their best without wasting energy. For a tune-up, a qualified professional, which could be current building staff, assesses a building’s existing energy systems, controls, and maintenance practices and performs no- to low- cost operational adjustments, maintenance, or minor repairs that improve system performance and save energy. Importantly, tune-ups are not focused on major upgrades to buildings or building equipment. Rather, tune-ups aim to ensure the existing equipment is running as intended.

Benchmarking and tune-ups save energy, reduce utility bills, provide a more comfortable space for occupants, and reduce carbon and air pollution that negatively impact public health and the environment. Reducing annual energy use in buildings covered by this program by 10 to 15% will cut carbon emissions by an estimated 91,257 to 136,886 tons per year. That’s the equivalent of taking 17,838 to 26,757 cars off the road.

Check out the FAQ for detailed answers to many of the most common questions about the program, and reach out to the Sustainability and Resilience team for more information.

Additional Program Materials

ResourceLinks
Building Energy Savings code
March 7, 2023		Adopted Code
Staff Memo
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
July 14, 2023		BESP FAQ
Two-Page Program Summary
March 5, 2024		BESP Summary
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