If your building is over 35,000 square feet, Maryland has already put you on the clock. Under the state’s Building Energy Performance (BEPS), building owners are now required to track and report energy usage annually, with the first reporting cycle beginning in 2025. This isn’t optional. And more importantly, this isn’t just paperwork. This is the foundation of how your building will be evaluated, regulated, and financially exposed over the next decade.
Benchmarking is the process of measuring your building’s total energy use and submitting it through tools like ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
But here’s what most owners miss:
This data becomes your baseline.
And that baseline is what determines:
• Whether your building is efficient or underperforming
• What your future emissions targets will be
• Whether you’ll face penalties when performance standards begin
Maryland is building toward net-zero emissions by 2040, and benchmarking is step one in that roadmap.
Starting in 2025, buildings must submit benchmarking data every year by June 1.
Miss it, and you’re not just late—you’re exposed.
In some jurisdictions like Montgomery County, penalties can reach $500 per day for noncompliance.
That’s not theoretical. That’s a real cost for doing nothing.
Most building owners think:
“I’ll deal with it closer to the deadline.”
That’s exactly where the problem begins.
Because benchmarking isn’t just submission—it requires:
• Utility data collection
• Tenant data coordination
• Data validation
• System setup
And if your data is wrong, it doesn’t just affect this year—it carries forward into your performance evaluation.
If your building is covered, the smartest move is early action.
You should already be:
• Setting up or reviewing your Portfolio Manager account
• Gathering full-year utility data
• Identifying data gaps or inconsistencies
• Establishing internal ownership for compliance
Because once the deadline gets close, you’re not planning anymore—you’re reacting.
Maryland benchmarking is not a one-time task.
It’s the beginning of a system that will define:
• Your building’s efficiency
• Your compliance pathway
• Your long-term financial exposure
The earlier you get visibility, the more control you have.