The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA) unanimously passed a resolution in support of providing multifamily building owners with access to whole-building energy data. The resolution contains a provision to protect the privacy of individual tenants. NASUCA also called on regulators and utilities to consider comprehensive energy benchmarking policies, including electronic access to data. The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) passed a similar Resolution on Access to Whole-Building Energy Data and Automated Benchmarking in 2011.

This resolution is a boon to energy efficiency efforts, since aggregated customer data and benchmarking provide building owners and third parties with the information needed to make informed decisions about energy use and efficiency improvements. Comprehensive benchmarking policies can also unlock private investment in efficiency improvements, freeing up public funds for other cost-effective efficiency investments.

Jurisdictions interested in establishing a benchmarking or data aggregation policy will find RAP’s Driving Building Efficiency with Aggregated Customer Data a useful guide to existing practices in the United States. Several states already benchmark their public buildings, while others require commercial or residential disclosure of energy usage data.

Rich Sedano, director of US programs at RAP, congratulated NASUCA for recognizing the importance of information in empowering building owners to improve the performance of their buildings.