DC benchmarking compliance, filed for you

Clean and Affordable Energy Act benchmarking + Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) requires covered buildings in Washington, DC to report energy and water use every year. We gather the data, check it, and file it — usually within a week.

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Who’s covered

Privately owned buildings of 10,000 sq ft and up (expanded for calendar year 2025 data), and District-owned buildings over 10,000 sq ft.

Annual deadline

May 1 for the previous calendar year. DC moved its annual deadline to May 1 by recent legislation.

Verification

Third-party data verification every three years, by someone other than the person who did the benchmarking.

Penalties

Up to $100 per day for benchmarking. Missing BEPS targets can cost up to $10 per sq ft (capped at $7.5 million).

What to report

All energy and water used by the whole building — including tenant spaces — for January 1 to December 31:

Electricity — every meter serving the building
Natural gas
District steam, hot or chilled water, if you have it
Delivered fuels (oil, diesel, propane) — all delivery receipts for the year
On-site solar production, if any
Water — whole-building water use

Leave out backup generator fuel. Note any meters added or removed during the year.

Good to know

BEPS compares your building to a performance standard every six years; Cycle 1 ends in 2026.
DOEE publishes each building’s results publicly.

What we’ll need from you

Building address, plus any utility service addresses that differ from it
Gross floor area for the whole building and each use (office, retail, residential…), number of units and year built
Your DC Real Property Unique ID (PID / SSL) (we can look it up)
Utility data for the full calendar year, January 1 – December 31 (usually 13 months of bills)
If tenants pay their own utilities: whole-building (aggregated) data from the utility, or signed tenant authorization forms
Access to your ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager account, if you have one
Any notice or letter you received from the city

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FAQ

DC benchmarking questions

When is the DC benchmarking deadline?

Reports are normally due May 1 each year, covering the previous calendar year’s energy and water use. DC moved its annual deadline to May 1 by recent legislation.

Does DC benchmarking apply to my building?

Privately owned buildings of 10,000 sq ft and up (expanded for calendar year 2025 data), and District-owned buildings over 10,000 sq ft. Exemptions are limited — if you’re not sure, send us the address and we’ll check.

What happens if I miss it?

Up to $100 per day for benchmarking. Missing BEPS targets can cost up to $10 per sq ft (capped at $7.5 million). If you’ve already missed the deadline, we can usually get you filed quickly and help you respond to any notice.

Is third-party verification required?

Third-party data verification every three years, by someone other than the person who did the benchmarking. We provide verification in-house.

Official program information: Washington, DC benchmarking website. Requirements change — we confirm current rules for every filing.

Let us handle your DC benchmarking filing

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