Salt Lake City

Sustainability

Contact SLCgreen (801) 535-6470 | slcgreen@slcgov.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q: When will this ordinance affect my building?

A: City-owned properties will need to submit benchmarking information on May 1, 2018. 50,000 square feet or greater will need to submit on May 1, 2019. Governed buildings 25,000 square feet or greater will begin submitting on May 1, 2020.

 

Q: How much time will it take to benchmark a building?

A: The time varies based on an individual’s familiarity with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Set-up may take up to a full day for one building but should take just a couple of hours each year to update once your portfolio is set up. Automated data cuts down on the time dramatically.

 

Q: Does this ordinance require mandatory upgrades?

A: No. This ordinance will not require buildings to implement any capital improvements or change their operations in any way. Owners may voluntarily choose to improve their ENERGY STAR Score by taking advantage of the many incentives offered by our local utilities. The Benchmarking Resource Center is also a great way to learn more about improving your score.

 

Q: Is there a penalty for non-compliance?

A: The ordinance states that “the Director may issue up to three written notices of noncompliance to the Owner, allowing Owner to remedy such noncompliance within 90 days after each notice of violation. After the third written notice of violation, the Director may impose a fine of up to $500 per violation thereafter not exceeding a total of $1,000 annually.”

 

Q: What if I own a campus of buildings?

A: If you have multiple properties where at least one of the buildings is at least 25,000 square feet and the entire campus acts as a single cohesive property with a shared primary function (such as a hospital) you may submit your benchmarking data on Portfolio Manager as a campus. If your campus does not fall under this definition please contact us at 801-535-6477.