Building benchmarking

 Notice: The following Public Agencies have provided the 2024 reporting compliance deadlines associated with Benchmarking activities. Please review your Benchmarking Portal and ESPM accounts to allow sufficient time to address any data issues you may identify.

Please review your governing agency’s reporting submission process once you’ve confirmed your data is ready to submit.

Reporting Deadlines

• San Jose: May 1, 2024
• City and County of San Francisco: May 1, 2024
• Brisbane: May 15, 2024
• State of California, California Energy Commission: June 1, 2024
• Berkeley: July 1, 2024

Why you should benchmark your building

Benchmarking enables you to determine how to lower your building's environmental footprint as well as your monthly energy costs. For many building owners, it's voluntary. However, some building owners will be required to report their energy usage data to the California Energy Commission, per Assembly Bill 802 (AB 802). Additionally, some cities (such as San Francisco and Berkeley) require building owners to annually benchmark their building's performance.

Benchmarking your building is easy. Best of all, it won't cost you a thing. PG&E's Building Benchmarking Portal is a free tool for all building owners in our service territories.

Learn how to benchmark your building (Building Owners & Operators)

Building owners and authorized agents of building owners can request benchmarking data from PG&E.

As defined by AB 802, the legislation allows building owners, or their authorized agents, to obtain the energy usage data (across all tenants) for their building. In some cases, data may be obtained without authorization. However, in the following cases, authorizations will be needed before the data can be released:

• If building has less than 3 active utility accounts, none of which are residential
• If building has less than 5 active utility accounts, where at least one account is residential

How to request energy usage data from the Building Benchmarking Portal

To obtain aggregated whole-building data, create an account and register a building on our Building Benchmarking Portal.

For instructions on how to use the Building Benchmarking portal, please review Building Benchmarking Portal - Guidance & Instructions (PDF).

If additional assistance is required, please contact the benchmarking team at benchmarking@pge.com.

How to authorize the release of meter data

In some cases, meters must be authorized for release by PG&E customers.

If a meter requires authorization in the Building Benchmarking Portal, the account holder of the meter must authorize the release. PG&E will only provide data for meters requiring authorization after the account holder submits a data release.

To authorize the release of a meter, fill out the online Portfolio Manager Web Services Data Authorization Form.

The following information is needed to complete the authorization form:

• PG&E account number
• The phone number or meter number associated with your account number
• The 10-digit building ID from the Building Benchmarking Portal

For step-by-step guidance, please see the Authorization Instructions (PDF).

If you need a tenant to release their meter, send them:

• A link to the online form: Portfolio Manager Web Services Data Authorization Form
• Your 10-digit building ID

A link to the instructions: Authorization Instructions (PDF).

Learn about California benchmarking and disclosure policies

For building owners required to benchmark their building using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager to disclose the energy usage:

• For the State of California's Benchmarking and Disclosure Program (AB 802), visit the California Energy Commission's benchmarking website. For more information, email Benchmarking@energy.ca.gov.
• The San Francisco Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance requires non-residential building owners in San Francisco to benchmark and disclose results annually. Get details about this ordinance. Visit Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance.
• For more information, email benchmark@sfenvironment.org.

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Learn about our privacy policy

Get data from other utilities

When your building receives energy from multiple utilities, you must contact each energy provider for more information on accessing your energy use data for benchmarking. Use the following information as a quick reference:

• Alameda Municipal Power: Email energymgt@alamedamp.com
• San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E): Visit SDG&E Benchmarking
• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PUC): Email energydata@sfwater.org
• Southern California Edison (SCE): Visit Benchmark Your Building's Energy Use
• Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas): Visit Energy-Efficiency Benchmarking

Contact us

If you have any questions about the benchmarking program at. PG&E, please contact us at benchmarking@pge.com.