City of St. Louis
Learn more about the Building Energy Awareness Ordinance (2017) and the Building Energy Performance Standards Ordinance (2020)
We provide technical support in order to comply with local ordinances while maximizing benefits for buildings owners, tenants, and the people that use and maintain them.
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Building Energy Awareness ("Benchmarking") Ordinance (2017)
In 2017, the city of St. Louis passed a benchmarking ordinance requiring all large buildings track and report energy and water use to the City of St. Louis Building Division by May 1st every year. This applies to municipal, institutional, commercial and multifamily buildings equal to or greater than 50,000 square feet. Reporting must be done using the free online tool ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
Buildings not in compliance with the ordinance will not be eligible for issuance of new residential or commercial occupancy permits. Fines also apply.
Building Energy Performance Standards ("BEPS") Ordinance (2020)
In 2020, the city of St. Louis passed a building energy performance standard ordinance requiring that all municipal, institutional, commercial and multifamily buildings equal to or greater than 50,000 square feet must consume energy at or below a standard set by the city. These standards are currently law and carry consequences for non-compliance. They apply to existing buildings as well as new construction.
What are the Standards?
The Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) were set using local St. Louis building data. The City started with the energy consumption data that had been submitted through the Benchmarking process for years 2017 and 2018. This data was complied and organized by building type as set by Energy Star. BEPS targets were established such that 65% of buildings will need to improve energy performance (i.e., at or below the 35th percentile). This target is required by ordinance.
How to Comply?
In short- by complying with the benchmarking ordinance. When you submit your benchmarking data during compliance years it must be verified by a third party. This verified data will be used to evaluate compliance and generate targets for the next cycle.
There are several pathways for compliance.
