Building Benchmarking
The Village's Energy and Water Benchmarking Ordinance requires buildings 10,000 square feet and larger to report their annual energy and water consumption using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
The reporting deadline is December 31. While the 2025 deadline passed, building owners and managers are still encouraged to report their energy and water usage as soon as possible.
A note about third-party scams: The Village is aware that marketing letters have been sent to building owners from third-party companies indicating that the building should sign up for a paid service to comply with the Village's Energy and Water Benchmarking Ordinance. The Village would like to remind building owners that any and all official communication regarding the Village’s Benchmarking Ordinance will come directly from the Village. The Village does not work with third-party companies to administer the benchmarking program, nor are building owners required to hire or work with a third party in order to comply with benchmarking requirements. While some private companies may offer benchmarking-related services, participation in those services is entirely optional and is not affiliated with the Village. If you ever have questions regarding the legitimacy of a communication related to benchmarking compliance, please contact the Village directly by emailing sustainability@oak-park.us.
Compliance process
The compliance process for the Village's Energy and Water Benchmarking ordinance is simple:
- Register your property in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
- Enter your utility data for the calendar years of 2022, 2023 and 2024
- Share your data with the Village of Oak Park
- That's it!
For more detailed instructions and tutorials on Portfolio Manager, visit the Building Performance Helpdesk.
Technical assistance
The Village hosts a series of workshops to assist property owners and managers in reporting their annual energy and water consumption. Information about workshops will be posted here as they are scheduled.
Need technical assistance?
Click here for the Benchmarking Help Desk
- Benchmarking Data Collection - Commercial Properties
- Benchmarking Data Collection - Residential Properties
Why should I benchmark my building?
- Buildings that benchmark save an average 2.4% on utility costs annually.
- High performing buildings are more attractive to tenants! ENERGY STAR rated buildings earn a 2.5% rental premium, have 9.5% higher occupancy rates and have a 16% higher resale value than lower performing buildings.
- Help the Village meet the goals of the Climate Ready Oak Park plan.
- Get recognition from the Village!
Benchmarking background
Oak Park is following a best practice to improve commercial and multifamily energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower utility costs through the process of annual benchmarking. The Village’s Energy and Water Benchmarking ordinance requires that all buildings over 10,000 square feet report their annual energy and water usage through the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Benchmarking compares each building with similar buildings and ranks performance against a national median. Benchmarking alerts a building manager if their building is underperforming, allowing them to make upgrades or repairs and offers the ability to track progress resulting from efficiency actions and investments. When benchmarking data is made public, as it is in Oak Park, it allows renters and tenants to choose locations which are higher performing and will have lower utility costs.
Oak Park Building Spotlight
Have you invested in efficiency improvements in your building? Did benchmarking help you identify any issues you were able to fix? Have you made any operational changes to save water or energy?
The Village would love to recognize your leadership and highlight the great work you've done. By sharing your success, you can help inspire other building owners and managers in Oak Park to follow your lead.
If you're interested in being recognized, please fill out this short form:
Oak Park Building Spotlight form
By participating, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Promote your building and organization
- Showcase your commitment to energy and water efficiency
- Support broader community efforts to improve building performance
- Serve as a peer example in Oak Park
For more information, contact sustainability@oak-park.us.