Expand your business and become a leader in building performance

The City of St. Louis’s Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) have created a growing demand for qualified professionals to verify energy and water data for commercial and multifamily buildings.

As building owners work to comply with the law, there is an immediate need for skilled, third-party verifiers. By getting qualified, you can add a new revenue stream to your business and position yourself as an expert in the city’s building efficiency efforts.

The Opportunity: Why Verifiers are In-Demand

The City of St. Louis requires that all municipal, commercial, and residential buildings 50,000 square feet or larger report their annual energy and water usage. As part of this process, a third-party data verifier must review and sign off on the accuracy of this data through the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager platform.

With the first compliance deadlines already taking effect, many building owners are actively seeking professionals with the right credentials to perform this essential service.

What Does a Data Verifier Do?

A Data Verifier’s role is to ensure the data submitted by a building owner is complete and accurate. The entire process is done electronically and does not require a site visit.

Key Responsibilities:

• Review a building’s energy and water data within ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
• Cross-reference the data with utility bills and building information provided by the owner.
• Complete the city’s “Data Verification Checklist” electronically.
• Electronically sign off on the data’s accuracy using your professional credential.

Important: A verifier must be an independent third party. You cannot verify data for a property if you are the building owner, an employee of the owner, or the person/company that prepared the benchmarking report.

How to Become a Verifier: Accepted Credentials

To qualify as a Data Verifier in the City of St. Louis, you must hold at least one of the following active licenses or certifications:

• Associate Commissioning Professional (ACP)
• Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP)
• Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP)
• Building Operator Certification (BOC)
• Certified Building Commissioning Professional (CBCP)
• Certified Commissioning Authority (CxA)
• Certified Commissioning Professional (CCP)
• Certified Energy Auditor (CEA)
• Certified Energy Manager (CEM)
• Certified Facility Manager (CFM)
• Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP)
• Certified Property Manager (CPM)
• Commissioning Process Management Professional (CPMP)
• Energy Management Professional (EMP)
• Existing Building Commissioning Professional (EBCP)
• GPRO Operations & Maintenance Professional (GPRO O&M)
• LEED Professional with a specialty in Building Operations + Maintenance (LEED-AP O+M)
• Operations & Performance Management Professional (OPMP)
• Professional Engineer (PE)
• Real Property Administrator (RPA)
• Registered Architect (RA)
• RPA/FMA High-Performance Designation (RPA/FMA-HP)
• Sustainability Facility Professional (SFP)
• Systems Maintenance Administrator (SMA)
• Systems Maintenance Technician (SMT)

Local Training to Get You Qualified (Can we note trainings that we offer in a different way above? I don’t mind linking out to other orgs for the rest and/or organizing by the certifier or professional type/org)

Several organizations offer training in the St. Louis area to help you earn an accepted credential.

• GPRO Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Essentials: This training is an excellent entry point, providing strategies to improve building efficiency, comfort, and health.
  • Local Provider: The Missouri Gateway Green Building Council regularly offers GPRO O&M training in St. Louis. BE-Ex STL actively promotes these GPRO trainings to build the local workforce.
• Building Operator Certification (BOC): This national certification provides in-depth training on the energy-efficient operation of buildings.
  • Regional Provider: The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) manages BOC training for Missouri. Tuition rebates of up to 50% are also available through Spire Energy for those who complete the training.

Benefits for Your Business

• New Revenue Stream: Offer a new, in-demand service to existing and potential clients.
• Enhanced Visibility: Get listed in the BE-Ex STL Directory. We are actively enhancing our directory with improved filtering for verifiers and adding badges for contractors who complete trainings.
• Become a Trusted Advisor: Position your company as an expert in building performance and energy efficiency.

Next Steps

1. Review the credentials list to see if you already qualify.
2. Explore local training options like GPRO and BOC to earn a new credential.
3. Get listed in the BE-Ex STL directory to connect with building owners who need your services. We are actively seeking to expand our list of benchmarking verifiers.