Buildings Compliance:
Your Building, Ahead of the Mandate.

Building Performance Standards are city and state regulations that require commercial buildings to meet specific energy performance thresholds or face significant financial penalties. NYC Local Law 97, Boston BERDO, DC BEPS, Chicago BEPA, LA EBEWE, and Seattle BPS are among the most active. More than 50 US jurisdictions now have active BPS or benchmarking mandates. If your building is over 25,000 sqft in any major US city, there is a high probability you have active buildings compliance obligations. A free buildings compliance assessment will tell you exactly what applies to your building within five business days.

Penalties vary by jurisdiction but are significant across all active mandates. NYC Local Law 97 imposes $268 per metric ton of excess CO2 emissions, which can exceed $500,000 annually for a large non-compliant office building. DC BEPS imposes $10 per sqft up to $7.5 million. LA EBEWE imposes $202 per day. Philadelphia benchmarking carries $300 per day late fines. Beyond financial penalties, buildings compliance failures create reputational risk with institutional tenants, lenders, and investors who increasingly require documented sustainability performance. Early engagement with a buildings compliance specialist avoids all of this.

No. Our buildings compliance services are available completely independently of any monitoring deployment. Most BPS mandates use utility bill data submitted through Portfolio Manager as the primary compliance mechanism. We can deliver a fully compliant buildings compliance submission using your existing utility billing records. If you do have Envigilance monitoring installed, the data quality and granularity improves which can help in borderline compliance situations, but it is never a prerequisite.

ASHRAE audits are standardised energy assessments conducted by a Licensed Professional Engineer. There are three levels. Level 1 is a walkthrough assessment identifying low-cost improvements. Level 2 is a detailed engineering analysis required by many buildings compliance mandates including NYC Local Law 87. Level 3 is an investment-grade analysis for major capital decisions. Whether you need an audit as part of your buildings compliance programme depends on your specific jurisdiction and mandate. NYC LL87 requires a Level 2 audit and retro-commissioning every 10 years for buildings over 50,000 sqft. Our team identifies which level applies to your building and coordinates the PE from our national network.

Buildings compliance timelines vary by mandate and building complexity. A standard benchmarking submission for a single-jurisdiction building can be completed in two to four weeks. A buildings compliance engagement involving an ASHRAE Level 2 audit, gap analysis, and optimisation work before submission typically runs eight to twelve weeks. Buildings with imminent deadlines should engage immediately as we prioritise time-sensitive buildings compliance engagements. We commit to timelines in writing at the start of every engagement.

Buildings compliance engagements are scoped and priced individually because no two buildings have identical mandate exposure, audit requirements, or data availability. Factors that affect the cost of a buildings compliance programme include your jurisdiction, whether an ASHRAE audit is required, building size and complexity, number of properties, and deadline urgency. We do not charge hourly or by retainer. Every buildings compliance engagement receives a fixed price in writing before work begins. Book a free assessment and we will scope and price your specific situation within five business days.

Yes. Portfolio buildings compliance programmes covering multiple buildings across different jurisdictions are a core part of what we do. CRE portfolio managers and hotel groups with properties in NYC, Boston, Chicago, and LA simultaneously face different mandates, different deadlines, and different audit requirements for each property. We provide a single point of contact, a unified reporting dashboard, and a master services agreement that covers your entire buildings compliance portfolio. Volume pricing applies for six or more buildings.

BPS mandates tighten every year. NYC Local Law 97 carbon intensity limits reduce in 2030 and again in 2035. Boston BERDO targets escalate through 2050. A building that meets its buildings compliance obligations today may not be compliant in two years without active management. Our ongoing buildings compliance programmes include annual benchmarking submissions, deadline monitoring across all active mandates, regulatory change alerts when new requirements affect your building, and annual review calls to keep your compliance strategy current. One-time engagements are available but ongoing buildings compliance programmes are the safer path for buildings in active mandate jurisdictions.