Energy benchmarking ordinances are becoming significantly crucial across the states including San Jose. These are essential regulatory measures that are designed to analyse and make improvements in the energy efficiency of the buildings. Like every city, San Jose is opting for measures that add to its environmental improvement efforts. Energy benchmarking ordinances are helping San Jose reduce greenhouse gas emissions and operational expenses while minimizing energy consumption.
Compliance with these ordinances not only improves energy efficiency but also are legal obligations for buildings. Insight Energy Consulting offers professional assistance and services to meet benchmarking ordinances to businesses collaborating with it.
1. Understand the Ordinance Requirements
Specifics of San Jose’s Ordinance
San Jose’s energy benchmarking ordinances require businesses to report and update their energy consumption patterns every year. The necessary aspects of energy benchmarking reports include total energy consumption and energy intensity data. Energy sources, frequency of reports, and the particular required data are some add-ons that enhance the efficiency of results.
Who Needs to Comply
Benchmarking ordinances are crucial for a certain size of commercial buildings or shared-family residential buildings. Building managers or land owners are required to check if their building needs to comply with energy benchmarking ordinances. Insight Energy Consulting services provide buildings with necessary benchmarking suggestions.
2. Gather Necessary Documentation
Energy Consumption Records
Maintaining energy consumption is not only limited to managing energy usage in your home. It also means keeping a record of all the relevant bills and information. For example, how much energy you recently used, your machinery’s daily consumption records, etc. Having all the past records on hand is how you can go for a successful energy audit.
Building Information
Other than the utility records, you also need information related to your building’s size and type. It includes the total number of occupants, the type of machines and devices used in the building and so much more. All these things effect the total energy consumption of your building. That is why it is important to note them down.
3. Conduct a Preliminary Self-Audit
Initial Assessment
You can begin by conducting your own energy analysis. An initial self-assessment might not be as accurate, but it can help you a lot when it comes to saving energy. All you need to do is check the total energy consumption by each of your building systems. Then compare the results with optimum buildings. You will know what are the potential areas of improvement in your building and how you can make it better. This will also give you a sense of saving energy on a regular basis.
Insight Energy Consulting Services
Performing initial assessments on your own is a good way to go. However, it has its downsides. For example, the assessment will not be as accurate as that of a professional. Moreover, if you get help from Insight Energy Consulting, they will assist you in performing these assessments. Taking help from professionals also means getting reliable solutions that are highly beneficial for your future.
4. Utilize Benchmarking Tools
Recommended Tools
Benchmarking tools vary from building to building. San Jose suggests particular benchmarking tools like ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The tools are useful for tracking energy consumption patterns and the overall energy performance of the building. By using these tools, building owners are able to compare their building’s performance with other buildings across the state.
How to Use These Tools
Energy benchmarking tools require users to input their energy usage data into the software. The data is then used to generate energy consumption reports. These reports allow you to save on energy bills. If you want these tools to properly work for you, you need to enter accurate data and details into it. Taking help from a professional can help you ace this. Insight Energy Consulting can be that professional for you.
5. Schedule a Professional Energy Audit
Importance of Expertise
As described earlier, professional energy audits can help you to a great extent. A certified energy auditor will do all the auditing tasks for you. They will also suggest several changes that can enhance the efficiency of your building. A professional energy audit has the ability to maximize your building’s efficiency. It might not happen right after but once you comply with their recommendations, you will notice the difference yourself.
Services Offered by Insight Energy Consulting
Insight Energy Consulting offers you a number of energy audit services. You can benefit from them and become an owner of an energy-efficient building. With no energy losses and lesser consumption, you can save a lot on your utility bills. Getting help from a professional means you get to update certain areas of your building and make them efficient. If you do it all by yourself, you might not find all the potential areas for energy saving. However, professional Insight Energy Consultants would not let it happen.
6. Implement Recommended Changes
Prioritize Recommendations
Recommendations provided by audit results include essential energy efficiency measures to focus on. Prioritizing these measures offers improvements that give the highest efficiency and minimized environmental impact. Usually, these improvements include replacing traditional lighting systems with advanced LEDs and updating HVAC systems. Following these, you can optimize energy consumption by reducing energy waste, greenhouse gas emissions and utility bills.
Project Management
Insight Energy Consulting manages energy improvement projects for you. It ensures that all the required suggestions are met properly. Project management services offered by Insight Energy Consulting include everything from analyzing energy data and verifying results. The projects are handled within time and financial blueprint. You can go for a few services or leave everything in our hands, we do it as you want.
7. Document Everything for Compliance
Record-Keeping
Compliance with San Jose’s energy benchmarking ordinance requires meticulous record-keeping. This includes updating and reviewing all energy consumption details. Documentation of energy consumption patterns, building’s performance information, and audit reports is necessary for maintaining records. A management with coordinating team can help you maintain records effectively.
Proof of Compliance
Insight Energy Consulting helps buildings in preparing documentation needed to prove compliance with benchmarking ordinance. The services provide all the required information readily available for submission. Regular data usage patterns, maintenance of reports, and record of changes made are important to gather in order to meet the compliance standards of San Jose.
8. Submit Reports and Plan for Future Audits
Report Submission
San Jose’s ordinance compliance requires submitting reports within the given timeline. The report contains details of energy consumption data with enhancements applied. To avoid any penalties during the submission, follow the outlined process of submission. Timely submissions allow timely assessments and evaluation of loopholes in the process if any.
Ongoing Compliance
Future audits need planning and maintenance. Maintenance of compliance is a constant process that requires regular reporting. Regular checking and reporting energy usage details, applying necessary measures for improvements, following recommended changes, and regular documentation are necessary for maintaining compliance. The building’s energy efficiency can be maintained by regular assessments.
Conclusion
Energy benchmarking ordinance for San Jose requires some necessary requirements. Collection of essential energy usage data, conduction of assessments and using benchmarking tools are some of them. Arranging professional level audits to keep up with industry compliance threshold requires following all of these requirements. The results obtained from audits allow building owners to implement the necessary changes for enhancing energy efficiency. Meticulous record-keeping and updating compliance reports also add to improving energy efficiency.
Insight Energy Consulting offers effective services and expert guidance to follow the ordinance compliance process. Collaborating with professional auditors and companies, Insight Energy Consulting can help businesses achieve long-term goals. Buildings can get to a new level of energy-efficient and improve their marketability and variability.
