Submit a Benchmarking Report

Each year by May 1, representatives of all St. Louis buildings 50,000 square feet and larger must:

• Prepare and submit benchmarking of their energy and water use via Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM).
  
  OR
   
• Obtain an exemption from benchmark reporting requirements for that calendar year.
  
  OR
   
• Obtain a one-time 30-day extension.

Office of Building Performance (OBP) begins accepting benchmarking reports for the previous calendar year in February each year.

Benchmark reporting has been shown to be an effective driver of behavioral, operational, and capital improvements to building energy performance.

The following instructions take building representatives through the annual benchmark reporting process.

1. Confirm that your building is in the Benchmarking Program.
2. Locate your St. Louis Building ID.
   • You will need to enter this ID in the building's ESPM account.
   • Alert us if you have issues locating your Building ID by emailing benchmarking@stlouis-mo.gov or booking a virtual consult.
3. Collect all data needed for benchmarking.
4. Create an Energy Star Portfolio Manager account or log in to your existing account.

1. Benchmark your Property

Following the steps outlined in the ENERGY STAR Quick Start Guide or in the quick demonstration videos.

1. Set up your property in Portfolio Manager.
2. Set up energy and water meters.
3. Add energy and water data.

Do any of the following apply to your building? Refer to the additional guidance below.

• Multiple buildings share water or energy meters: Buildings that share energy or water meters should benchmark together, following the instructions outlined in ESPM's Campus Benchmarking Guide. Please book a virtual consult to discuss this option.
• Properties that generate green power onsite with wind turbines or solar panels should refer to ESPM's FAQ How do I enter onsite green power (solar/wind)? Part 1.

2. Check for Errors

Use Portfolio Manager's Data Quality Checker to find potential issues as shown in this EPA recorded webinar.
 

3. Add your St. Louis Building ID

This ID is required to track compliance.

• On the Details tab, hit the 'Edit' button at the bottom right of the Unique Identifiers box.
• In the Standard IDs section, hit the dropdown menu for Standard ID - City/Town and select St. Louis Building ID.
• Enter the ID in the text box to the right.
• The format is P-xxxxxx (for non-municipal & non-data center), M-xxxxxx (municipal) and D-xxxxxx (data centers).
• Be sure to use a capital letter and include the hyphen.
• Click the blue 'Save' button.
• How to enter a Standard ID (with screenshots).

4. Submit Data to the OBP 

• Connect and share properties with us
  Steps to Share Properties in ESPM
  Properties will only need to be shared with us once.
   
• ESPM will automatically share the data with OBP during the nightly update. 
   

Begin online

Using Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM) and submitting a report to OBP is free. Penalties apply for noncompliance.

• OBP's database BEAM (Building Energy Analysis Manager) will send an automated email if it discovers quality issues which prevent acceptance of a report. It will include steps on how to correct the issue(s).
• BEAM will send an In Compliance email which confirms that a report passed all quality checks and has complied with the annual benchmarking reporting requirement. 

OBP is available 9am-4:45pm Central to support properties throughout this process. 

Please book a virtual consult if you have questions or concerns. Sharing screens helps us troubleshoot any issues.