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:

All non-residential commercial buildings 25,000 square feet (sq. ft.) or more must benchmark energy use annually.
All non-residential commercial buildings 50,000 sq. ft. or more must 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 Year	First Tune-up Year
Large buildings: >100,000 sq. ft.	2024	2025
Medium buildings: 50,000 - 99,999 sq. ft.	2025	2026
Small buildings: 25,000 - 49,999 sq. ft.	2026	Not required

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.

Failure to complete benchmarking by the deadline will result in fines as specified in Section 29.40 of the Madison General Ordinances.

How to Comply

1. Check the Covered Buildings List

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

2. Claim your building using the Building Owner Portal

Log in to claim your building(s) and connect to Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

3. Benchmark your building using Energy Star Portfolio Manager

Set up your property in EPA's Energy Star Portfolio Manager and enter whole-building energy use data for the 2023 calendar year.

4. Report to the City using the Building Owner Portal

Review and submit your building's benchmarking data in the Building Owner Portal.

White text on an illustration of a flat screen computer monitor readskground reads "A step-by-step demonstration of benchmarking and reporting."

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.

Building Owner Guide

Start benchmarking with this step-by-step guide.

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Virtual Trainings

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

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

Resource	Links
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