How to comply with the San Francisco Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance

The intent of the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance is to help the local market maximize energy efficiency in San Francisco by empowering owners, managers, operators, and occupants with the key information to control utility costs, and to know exactly how they will benefit by improving energy efficiency. For existing nonresidential buildings 10,000 square feet and larger, the ordinance requires:

• An Actionable Plan: An energy efficiency audit identifying specific cost-­-effective measures that would save energy.
• A Benchmark: Track and annually summarize the energy used by the entire building, enabling tracking of trends and comparison to similar buildings under similar conditions across the nation.
• Transparency: Annually share a concise overview of each building’s energy benchmarking results with the Department of Environment and tenants. Department of Environment will ultimately be required to make this information available to the public. The Annual Energy Benchmark Summary report is intended to encourage improvement in energy management, as well as sustained excellence.
• The Ordinance was directly informed by the recommendations of the Mayor’s Task Force on Existing Commercial Buildings, which recommended policies, actions, and partnerships to meet local and state goals for greater energy efficiency in buildings. The intent of this initiative is to improve the competitiveness of commercial buildings in the city, support the local economy -­- particularly jobs related to energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve resources, and enhance electricity reliability.
• It is the building owner’s decision how to benefit from opportunities identified in the energy efficiency audit. Commercial properties in San Francisco are eligible for rebates (such as the San Francisco Energy Watch program: www.sfenergywatch.org), federal tax benefits (such the 179d tax deduction), and special financing that enhance both the bottom line and cash flow. The opportunity is compelling. Implementing specific cost-­-effective recommendations from credible experts can cut operating costs, reduce exposure to utility rate increases, and improve asset value.

Verdafero is approved by the City of San Francisco to conduct these energy audits and benchmarking services.

Verdafero Inc is a ‘software and services’ company offering a comprehensive service to our customers through consulting and software. We work with our customers to drive savings in their utility expenses and carbon footprint which directly effect a company’s bottom line profit, ie: business efficiency and profitability.

Utility Optimization Software Provider