San Francisco EBO Frequently Asked Questions

In cases where a building has been sold and it is absolutely not possible to obtain complete energy use data for a year due to the sale of a building, Dept of Environment will accept a statement of inability to comply in lieu of a benchmark report for the year of the transaction, as well as the years prior to the transaction. Apply for an exemption.

When a tenant that purchases energy directly from the utility moves out, the owner may have no mechanism whatsoever to obtain energy use data from the utility. Under such circumstances, the owner may apply for a one-year exemption from the benchmarking requirement. Apply for an exemption.

If your facility averaged less than 1 person on site during the building’s typical operating hours over the prior calendar year, the ordinance does not apply and benchmarking is not required. Apply for an exemption.

No. Buildings that demonstrate excellent energy performance are still required to benchmark annually under San Francisco’s Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance.

Yes. If your facility is smaller than 10,000 square feet the ordinance does not apply and benchmarking is not required. Apply for an exemption.

Yes. If your facility does not have at least 10,000 square feet of conditioned space, the ordinance does not apply and benchmarking is not required. Apply for an exemption.

If your facility averaged less than 1 person on site during the building’s typical operating hours over the prior calendar year, the ordinance does not apply and neither benchmarking nor audits are required. Apply for an exemption.

If your facility has written approval from a city agency to be demolished (or for the site to be developed in a manner that necessitates demolition), neither benchmarking nor audits are required.

If a new commercial building larger than 10,000 square feet is constructed, the Existing Commercial Buildings ordinance requires benchmarking to resume within 24 months of issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy (or equivalent) by the Department of Building Inspection. Apply for an exemption.

The ordinance now applies to multi-family buildings 50,000 square feet or more. If your multi-family building is less than 50,000 square feet the ordinance does not apply and benchmarking is not required.

You are no longer exempt. As of 2018 the SF EBO benchmarking ordinance applies to multi-family buildings 50,000 square feet or greater. However, there is no requirement for auditing of multi-family buildings.

Contact Charles at 415-497-3090 or visit Visit: How to Comply with Benchmarking in San Francisco.