Energy Benchmarking
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Compliance
Statewide Regulations
Energy Benchmarking
California Energy Commission Building Energy Benchmarking Program (AB 802)
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All campuses with a utility meter serving > 50,000 square feet of gross floor area are required to submit their energy usage to the California Energy Commission for public disclosure, due June 1 annually.
2026 Benchmark
2030 Build and Institutionalize
2035 Improve and Reassess
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Benchmark Energy Usage Intensity (EUI)
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Decrease EUI by 25%
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Decrease EUI by 50% from benchmark
California State University Sustainability Policy
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The CSU will monitor monthly energy and utility usage on all campuses and the Chancellor's Office and will prepare a systemwide annual report on energy utilization and greenhouse gas emissions. The Chancellor's Office will maintain a systemwide energy database in which monthly campus data will be compiled to produce systemwide energy reporting. Campuses will provide the Chancellor's Office the necessary energy and utility data, such as electricity and natural gas consumption; water and sewer usage; fuel consumed by fleet vehicles, boats, and ships; waste disposal for the systemwide database in a timely manner.
Resources
California Energy Commission's Building Energy Benchmarking Program
Due June 1 Annually through:
Notice: Compliance Communications
The Benchmarking Program does not charge a fee to submit your benchmarking report. Any entity offering to submit CEC-required reports on behalf of building owners is not associated with the CEC.
Colleges can confirm their compliance status at any time using the CEC's official lookup tool: BenchmarkingCA.com
Official compliance letters and other communications from the California Energy Commission will only come from benchmarking@energy.ca.gov. If you are not receiving email compliance notifications, reminders and more for your campus from the CEC, submit this form to update your contact information.
FPPS offers paid services to help districts set up their Portfolio Manager accounts, upload energy use data (using energy bills or, under AB 802 Building Energy Use Disclosure and Public Benchmarking law, utilities will provide aggregated data for your campuses upon request), set up automatic energy data uploads into Portfolio Manager (available to customers of PG&E, SCE, SoCalGas, SDG&E, LADWP, SMUD, and Pacific Power), and/or submit their benchmarking reports. Please note that all of these tasks can be completed by districts themselves at no cost, and the ERSP has compiled the instructions for preparing and submitting reports for your campuses (due June 1 annually) below.
CEC Energy Benchmarking in ESPM
Submitting Benchmarking Report to the California Energy Commission
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Log in to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to update your OGSF and Energy Usage for the previous calendar year.
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Update the Gross Floor Area of each campus with the OGSF from your latest FUSION report.
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Enter each campus's energy use data manually or set up automatic monthly data uploads from PG&E, SCE, SoCalGas, SDG&E, LADWP, Pacific Power, and/or SMUD. If you get your gas or electric from any other utility, or is generated onsite, that data will most likely have to be manually entered (using energy bills or, under AB 802 Building Energy Use Disclosure and Public Benchmarking law, utilities will provide aggregated data for your campuses upon request).
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Run the Data Quality Checker.
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In the ‘Summary’ tab, scroll down and click ‘Check for Possible Errors’
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Set the timeframe for ‘Dec 31, 2024' (the prior calendar year), and then click ‘Run Checker’. This will identify errors in the report and how to correct them. Warnings about waste and water can be ignored.
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Repeat Data Quality Checker for all properties with a Benchmarking Reference Number.
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Report your energy use through the 2025 Link (For Reporting 2024 Calendar Year Data) here: Report Benchmarking Data
For guidance on how to generate and submit the report, see How to Respond to Data Requests in Portfolio Manager.
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Check your compliance status at BenchmarkingCA.com
You will receive one email from Energy Star confirming your data was successfully submitted. Within 1-2 days, you will also receive a letter from the California Energy Commission confirming your compliance status. The website may take 1-2 days to update with the correct status.
Questions? Reach out to Lisa Imai at limai@fpps.us for no-cost benchmarking setup assistance. Additional data entry and automatic data exchange setup services must be contracted through FPPS.
CCCCO Energy Calculator in FUSION
Please see the attached memo regarding the 2025-26 natural gas and electricity usage data that is due on December 1, 2026. The memo includes information regarding the submission process for the Energy Usage Calculator module in FUSION. A completed Energy Usage Calculator submission qualifies your district to participate in the energy efficiency incentives as part of the capital outlay program. This reminder is being sent out to allow districts time to gather the information needed to complete the Energy Usage Calculator in FUSION.
If you have any questions or need technical assistance, please contact Druv Bhat at the Chancellor's Office.
Attachments:
Procurement Agreements
Utility Bill Auditing
Procure America
Procure America provides cost reduction consulting services to help public institutions reduce and recover expenses across key operational categories, including utilities, waste, and telecommunications. Through an agreement with the University of California, Procure America analyzes utility billing and rate structures to identify operational efficiencies and billing errors on a contingency-fee basis.