Exemptions apply to:
1. A building that can document that it is a single building less than 25,000 gross square feet.
- For benchmarking purposes, a "building" is any single structure utilized or intended for supporting or sheltering any occupancy, except if a single structure contains two or more individually metered units operating independently that have stand-alone heating, cooling, hot water, and other mechanical systems, and no shared interior common areas. Your building may be exempt if it contains individually owned or leased spaces where:
- each space is less than 25,000 gross square feet, and
- each space does not share and is not connected by any interior space (even hallways), and
- each space has its own energy systems (like HVAC and hot water heating) and there are no shared energy systems between spaces, and
- each space has separate utility meters for all utilities.
2. A building for which more than 50% of the total gross floor area is used for:
- Public assembly in a building without walls; or,
- Industrial uses where the majority of energy is consumed for manufacturing, the generation of electric power or district thermal energy to be consumed offsite, or for other process loads; or,
- Transportation, communications, or utility infrastructure.
Waivers apply to a building that:
1. Is in financial distress; or,
2. On average, less than one full-time-equivalent employee occupied the building during the calendar year being reported; or,
3. Is newly constructed and has received its certificate of use and occupancy during calendar year for which benchmarking is required; or,
4. Was demolished or received its demolition permit during the calendar year for which benchmarking is required.