Building Energy Benchmarking
Latest Updates
Covered Property List
The benchmarking Covered Property List (CPL) is now available. Use the CPL to see what properties are required to comply with the benchmarking ordinance.
Click here to view the Covered Property List
Upcoming Webinars
The November benchmarking webinar sessions will help property owners prepare for compliance by introducing the benchmarking Covered Property List and familiarizing property owners with the Claim My Property form. See the times and registration links for the two webinar options below.
What is Energy Benchmarking?
Benchmarking is the practice of measuring a building's energy use over time and comparing it to similar buildings. It helps building owners and managers understand how their properties consume energy, identify opportunities to reduce costs, and improve performance.
As the saying goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Benchmarking provides the data needed to make informed decisions about energy upgrades intended to reduce utility bills and lower emissions.
In New Orleans, large commercial buildings are among the most energy-intensive structures in the city. In fact, 20% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions come from energy use in large buildings alone. Benchmarking is a critical step toward understanding and reducing that impact, helping New Orleans meet its climate goals while improving building performance and resilience citywide.
Stay Informed
Knowledgebase & Mailing List
The New Orleans Benchmarking Knowledgebase is the best source for the latest information about the benchmarking program. Visit the Knowledgebase to learn more or ask a question via the Knowledgebase Helpdesk.
Want to stay in the know about the New Orleans Benchmarking Program? Subscribe to the City's Benchmarking mailing list.
Benefits of Energy Benchmarking
Benchmarking isn’t just about tracking energy use—it’s a proven tool for driving real results.
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Energy and Cost Savings: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), buildings that benchmark consistently save energy—averaging 2.4% in energy reductions each year. These savings lower operating costs and reduce emissions.
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Job Creation and Local Investment: Benchmarking and energy efficiency improvements support local jobs in energy services, engineering, and construction. These upgrades contribute to a stronger, greener economy.
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Improved Market Performance: Energy-efficient buildings are more attractive to tenants and investors. Benchmarking can help improve occupancy rates, increase property values, and enhance business stability.
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Policy Insight and Public Transparency: When covered buildings submit their energy data, the City can better evaluate the effectiveness of existing energy incentives and programs. Benchmarking also promotes transparency by making building energy use and emissions publicly accessible.
Together, these benefits help build a more efficient, equitable, and climate-resilient New Orleans.
Background on Benchmarking in New Orleans
The City of New Orleans has been working for over a decade to improve energy efficiency in buildings across the city. Since 2012, the City has been benchmarking its buildings and released the Municipal Building Energy Use Dashboard in 2025 to make that data transparent and accessible to the public. Between 2018 and 2021, energy use in municipal buildings fell by 23%, demonstrating the power of data-driven energy management.
In 2018, the City of New Orleans began considering a benchmarking program, and the New Orleans City Council required ENO to create a Whole Building Data Tool to provide building-level energy data to owners and tenants to support energy tracking. That same year, the City launched the Downtown Energy Challenge with the Downtown Development District to encourage large buildings to benchmark their energy use and take steps to reduce it.
In 2024, the Office of Resilience & Sustainability developed a draft benchmarking ordinance and program by engaging over 200 stakeholders including building owners, energy professionals, housing advocates, and utilities.
Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG)
That same year, the City was awarded approximately the City was awarded ~$1.5 million from the Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to launch a citywide benchmarking program. CPRG funding will:
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Support program administration and staffing for ordinance implementation.
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Fund development of a Benchmarking Knowledge Base to provide building representatives with resources, compliance guidance, exemption and extension forms, and a helpdesk ticketing system.
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Offer training and technical assistance to building owners and managers to ensure accurate and timely reporting.
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Develop public-facing annual reports to share benchmarking results and trends.
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Support targeted outreach to underrepresented building owners to ensure equitable participation.
For more information → About CPRG
About the Benchmarking Ordinance
On July 10, 2025, the New Orleans City Council passed the New Orleans Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (Ordinance No. 35,154). This ordinance requires properties in the city that are over 20,000 square feet in combined building area to benchmark their energy use and annually report that information to the City. Each year, the City is required to publish the collected benchmarking information on its website.
See below for a summary of the ordinance’s key provisions and click here to read the ordinance.
- Large properties (combined building area of 20,000 square feet and above) are required to annually benchmark their energy use by entering utility information into the free, online ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool.
- Large properties must annually report their benchmarking information to the City.
- The City must annually disclose energy use metrics (Energy Use Intensity, ENERGY STAR Score, etc.) for these large properties to the public.
- The benchmarking requirement will be phased in as follows:
- Properties with combined building area of 50,000 square feet and above must comply beginning January 1, 2026.
- Properties with combined building area of 20,000 square feet and above must comply beginning January 1, 2027.
- Each year, the City will publish a covered property list containing all properties expected to comply with the benchmarking requirement. Properties must submit benchmarking information to the City by May 31 each year.
- Failure to comply with the benchmarking requirement may result in fines between $1,000 and $3,000. Penalties will be waived in the first year a property is required to comply.
Contact Us
To contact the City with a question about benchmarking, email benchmarking@nola.gov.