San Francisco energy consumption benchmarking ordinance bears fruit

San Francisco commercial properties have boosted their energy efficiency since 2011, when an energy consumption benchmarking law went into effect.

The city’s Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance has helped to spawn a 7.9% reduction in energy use across 176 properties tracked since 2010. The estimated savings on utility costs on these structures is $170 million.

A review of a broader group of 817 buildings found that energy reduction measures could save tens of millions of dollars in costs during the lifetime of the buildings, providing a significant boost to the properties’ value.

The Urban Land Institute Greenprint Center for Building Performance and the city partnered on the benchmarking effort. This project could be an effective model for other cities, according to a ULI Greenprint report.

New ideas in design and constructability are radically changing how metal systems are used as roofing for commercial and institutional buildings. Behind the investment in these new kinds of expressions and construction approaches is a growing interest in improved performance and reduced environmental impact. Metal roofing systems can cut cooling and heating loads significantly, according to the EPA.