BuildingRating

Sharing Transparency for a More Efficient Future

Montgomery County

Policy Description:

Montgomery County, Maryland, a suburban county bordering Washington DC with a population over 1 million, is the first county in the nation to pass an energy benchmarking law. Bill 2-14 was part of a package of nine energy bills unanimously passed by County Council on Earth Day, April 22, 2014. The law requires that owners of large nonresidential buildings benchmark energy use on an annual basis. The law was amended on November 17, 2015 with the passage of Bill 35-15. The amendments set the private sector building group deadlines six months earlier than they had been in the original Bill 2-14. The new dates are noted below.

All county-owned nonresidential buildings must benchmark by June 1, 2015. Private, nonresidential buildings greater than or equal to 250,000 square feet must comply with the law by June 1, 2016, while the deadline for private, nonresidential buildings greater than or equal to 50,000 square feet is June1, 2017. A licensed professional must verify benchmarking data before the first submission and every three years thereafter.

Enacted Date:
2014
Authority in Charge:
Department of Environmental Protection
Tool Name:
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
Relevant Links:
Building Types Affected Size Compliance Deadline
Public/Government ALL 2015-06-01
Non-Residential Greater Than or Equal To 250,000 Sq. Feet 2016-06-01
Non-Residential Greater Than or Equal To 50,000 Sq. Feet 2017-06-01
Exemptions:
Any building where more than 10 percent is used for: 1) Public occupancy in a building without walls; 2) Warehousing 3) Self storage; or 4) A use classified as manufacturing and industrial, transportation, communications, or utilities Any building: a) in financial distress b) with average occupancy of less than 50 percent during the calendar year c) newly constructed and received its certificate of occupancy during the current calendar year
Number of Buildings Affected:
750
Floor Area Affected:
68,000,000 Sq. Feet
Transparency:
Required Transparency:
Yes
Transparency Method:
Public Website
Recipients:
Public Website
Transparency Trigger:
Date Certain
Frequency:
Annually
Reporting:
Required Reporting:
Yes
Reporting Trigger:
Date Certain
Reporting Frequency:
Annually

Utility Requirements/Support:

Utility Requirements/Support:
No

Verification:

Verification:
Yes
Notes:
Benchmarking data must be verified by a recognized data verifier before the first submission and every three years thereafter. A recognized data verifier is defined as a Professional Engineer, Registered Architect, or another trained individual whose professional license or building energy training program credential is recognized by the Director.

Compliance:

Compliance Enforcement:
Yes
Penalties for Non-Compliance:
No
Description:
Any violation of this Article is a Class A violation. Such violations are punishable by the issuance of civil citations carrying fines of $500 for the initial offense and $750 for repeat offenses.
Additional Program Information:
Audits:
No
Retrocommissioning:
No
Water Use Tracking:
No