District Of Columbia

The Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008 (CAEA) was passed unanimously by the DC Council on July 15, 2008, and signed into law by District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty on Aug. 4, 2008. Among other energy conservation and efficiency initiatives, the bill required for the first time in any U.S. jurisdiction that the energy performance of commercial buildings be annually rated and disclosed to the marketplace. Roughly 75 percent of DC's greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings. Additionally, energy is the largest operating cost for office buildings in downtown DC, accounting for 32 percent of operating expenses -- 10 percent more than the next highest expense -- according to data from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International. Public buildings were benchmarked beginning in 2010 and disclosed thereafter via an online database (link below). Private buildings must submit benchmarking scores every year, with the size threshold phased in over time. Annual disclosure, requiring the posting of an ENERGY STAR Statement of Performance, will occur via an online database open to the public and administered by the District of Columbia.