{"id":2643,"date":"2025-12-26T10:59:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T10:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecotocongroup.com\/?p=2643"},"modified":"2026-05-06T10:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:00:10","slug":"understanding-building-energy-benchmarking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/understanding-building-energy-benchmarking\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Building Energy Benchmarking Law by City of Orlando (BEWES)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row row_type=&#8221;row&#8221; use_row_as_full_screen_section=&#8221;no&#8221; type=&#8221;full_width&#8221; angled_section=&#8221;no&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; background_image_as_pattern=&#8221;without_pattern&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Building Energy and Water Efficiency Strategy (BEWES) is a policy created by the City of Orlando to reduce energy and water waste in large buildings. The program focuses on measuring how much energy and water buildings use, sharing this information publicly, and helping owners improve performance over time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BEWES supports Orlando\u2019s long-term climate goals. It also helps property owners cut operating costs, improve building value, and create healthier spaces for occupants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Who needs to comply?<br \/>\n<\/b><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The law applies to large buildings in Orlando. Owners must benchmark and report their energy and water use each year if their properties are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">City-owned buildings that are 10,000 square feet or larger<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commercial or multifamily buildings that are 50,000 square feet or larger<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These buildings must track whole-building energy and water use and submit results to the City every year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_deadlines\"><\/span><b>Key deadlines<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building owners must:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Report annual benchmarking data by <\/span><b>May 1 each year<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upload 12 months of energy and water data<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager for reporting<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Share information through the City\u2019s compliance platform<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reports are published to improve transparency and encourage better performance across the real estate market.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Energy_audits_and_retro-commissioning\"><\/span><b>Energy audits and retro-commissioning<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BEWES is not only about reporting data. It also encourages buildings to improve efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a building scores below 50 on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.energystar.gov\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ENERGY STAR<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> score:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An energy audit or<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retro-commissioning<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">must be completed once every five years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Energy audits identify where energy is being wasted.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Retro-commissioning focuses on tuning existing systems like HVAC, controls, and lighting so they work better without major equipment replacement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both help owners save money and improve building comfort.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_energy_benchmarking\"><\/span><b>Benefits of energy benchmarking<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Benchmarking offers strong advantages for owners, tenants, and the community:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower energy and water bills<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Better building performance<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased property value<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduced greenhouse gas emissions<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More informed tenant and buyer decisions<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enhanced transparency in the marketplace<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many buildings see significant cost savings after identifying inefficiencies and taking corrective action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_comply_step-by-step\"><\/span><b>How to comply step-by-step<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follow these steps to meet BEWES requirements:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Confirm your building is covered under the law<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assign a Benchmarking Leader (internal staff or consultant)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create an ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager account<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enter building characteristics and occupancy details<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upload 12 months of energy and water usage<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Share the report with the City\u2019s compliance platform<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schedule an audit or retro-commissioning if your score is below 50<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keeping records organized each month makes annual reporting easier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_challenges_building_owners_face\"><\/span><b>Common challenges building owners face<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many owners experience:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difficulty gathering utility data from multiple tenants<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Errors when entering data in Portfolio Manager<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uncertainty about whether their building is covered<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lack of time or expertise to manage reporting<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Confusion between energy audit and retro-commissioning requirements<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working with specialists helps avoid violations and missed deadlines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_expert_help_with_BEWES_compliance\"><\/span><b>Get expert help with BEWES compliance<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cotocon Group helps building owners across Orlando meet BEWES requirements accurately and on time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We assist with:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Energy and water benchmarking<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Portfolio Manager setup and management<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data collection and verification<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Energy audits and retro-commissioning coordination<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Report submission to the City<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our goal is to help you cut operating costs, stay compliant, and improve building performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row row_type=&#8221;row&#8221; use_row_as_full_screen_section=&#8221;no&#8221; type=&#8221;full_width&#8221; angled_section=&#8221;no&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; background_image_as_pattern=&#8221;without_pattern&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Building Energy and Water Efficiency Strategy (BEWES) is a policy created by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2646,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"left-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[30,38,8,15],"ppma_author":[60],"class_list":["post-2643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-orlando-benchmarking","tag-benchmarking","tag-energy-audit","tag-retro-commissioning","tag-the-cotocon-group"],"authors":[{"term_id":60,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"admin","display_name":"thecotocongroup","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6c97e8732279109c5164e538b23e3dfc13b6ecb297099577962be5c52887d138?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/by-City-of-Orlando-BEWES.jpg",800,511,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/by-City-of-Orlando-BEWES.jpg",800,511,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/by-City-of-Orlando-BEWES.jpg",800,511,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/by-City-of-Orlando-BEWES-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/by-City-of-Orlando-BEWES-300x192.jpg",300,192,true],"large":["https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/by-City-of-Orlando-BEWES.jpg",800,511,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/by-City-of-Orlando-BEWES.jpg",800,511,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/by-City-of-Orlando-BEWES.jpg",800,511,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"thecotocongroup","author_link":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/category\/orlando-benchmarking\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Orlando Benchmarking<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"[vc_row row_type=&#8221;row&#8221; use_row_as_full_screen_section=&#8221;no&#8221; type=&#8221;full_width&#8221; angled_section=&#8221;no&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; background_image_as_pattern=&#8221;without_pattern&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Building Energy and Water Efficiency Strategy (BEWES) is a policy created by [&hellip;]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2643"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5757,"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643\/revisions\/5757"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2643"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecotocongroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}