The City of Columbus’ Energy & Water Benchmarking and Transparency Ordinance (Columbus City Code Title 41 – Building Code Chapter 4117) requires commercial and multi-family building owners and managers of buildings 50,000 square feet and larger to track (or “benchmark”) their electricity, gas, and water use. This data is reported annually to the City of Columbus through the U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR(R) Portfolio Manager(R) tool. For more information about the history of the Ordinance and why it is important, visit the Ordinance Development Process page.
Columbus shares a subset of building performance information collected through benchmarking. Investors, potential renters, or concerned citizens can view building performance data on the Transparency Map. Click on the button below to go to our interactive map.
If you are new to benchmarking, new to the Columbus Benchmarking Ordinance, or just need a refresher to be in compliance, we recommend you watch this 15 minute video.
Below are simplified instructions to bring your building(s) into compliance with the Benchmarking Ordinance for 2024. For a step-by-step guide, download the Compliance Quick Guide(PDF, 639KB). If you have watched the video, downloaded the Quick Guide, and would like further assistance, schedule a meeting with the Help Desk.
