A voluntary program that compares and rates large commercial buildings in Longmont for energy savings is expanding in 2021 as part of a city effort to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Officials with Longmont’s energy “benchmarking” project want to enlist all of the city’s 20,000-square-foot or larger commercial buildings to test their energy efficiency next year. There are 280 commercial and industrial buildings in Longmont larger than 20,000-square-feet, according to a staff report to city council.
Building owners won’t be penalized for poor energy efficiency. But they can use their energy scores to make improvements and market their buildings as environmentally friendly, Debbie Seidman, project director for Longmont Power and Communications, said during Tuesday’s city council study session.
Benchmarking compares energy consumption with similar buildings and encourages building owners to reduce their energy use, Seidman told council.
“In general, benchmarking is a really good tool to get funding for future projects … save energy costs and can be used to market your space,” she said.
Ten buildings participated in the first benchmarking effort this year. They included UCHealth Longmont, FirstBank and St. Vrain Valley School District. Ten municipal buildings also were benchmarked and one result was surprising, Seidman said.
Building owners self-reported data into a no-cost secure Environmental Protection Agency software program and received an Energy Star score, she said. Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 100, on which 50 is average and greater than 50 is above average.
Longmont’s Development Services Center, 385 Kimbark St., notched a Energy Star score of 60, one of the higher scores in the project, Seidman said. The building is older, which usually means lower energy savings.
“In general newer buildings scored higher,” she said.
The Development Services Center — which houses the city Planning, Building Inspection and Code Enforcement departments — recently added insulation to its walls and roofs to improve its score.
“It shows you can improve different building types,” Seidman said.
Councilmember Polly Christensen said the benchmarking effort is an essential tool in cutting energy costs.
“This is really important for our city buildings and to see how inefficient they are,” she said.
