Los Angeles Energy & Water Audits/RCx (EBEWE)

City of Los Angeles: Existing Buildings Energy & Water Efficiency (EBEWE) ordinance

Angelenos are striving to exceed California’s building efficiency rules. So, in order to lower the use of energy, water and greenhouse gas emissions citywide, the City of Los Angeles’ Building Department now requires existing commercial and multi-family buildings 20,000 square feet and over, to be: benchmarked, audited, retro-commissioned and retrofitted.

Benchmarking reports must be submitted annually to verify reductions in energy and water use starting in 2019. Combined energy audit / retro-commissioning reports must be updated every 5 years (starting Jan 2020). All work must be supervised and certified by a California licensed professional engineer (PE). Noncompliant properties are subject to penalties and fines which could hinder real estate transactions and financing.

Highlights for Compliance:

  • Private buildings 20,000 sq.ft. and above.
  • Benchmark energy and water usage annually by licensed PE.
  • Audit and retro-commission every 5 years by licensed PE.

Step 1: Energy & Water Benchmarking Annually

A benchmarking report (generated by ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager software), summarizing the annual energy and water performance of a building, is now required to be certified by a licensed professional engineer and submitted annually for all privately owned buildings 20,000 sq. ft. and above. Data can be entered and imported by owner or their assignee, then reviewed by 3fficient Pro for submission to city.

Note: The square footage requirement pertains to an entire building, not a parcel. i.e. multiple buildings on a single parcel added together exceeding 20,000 sq. ft. would not require compliance.

Benchmarking Exemptions
  1. The building did not have a Certificate of Occupancy or Temporary Certificate of Occupancy for the entire calendar year required to be benchmarked;
  2. The entire building was not occupied, due to renovation, for the entire calendar year required to be benchmarked;
  3. The demolition permit for the entire building has been issued and demolition work has commenced on or before the date the benchmarking report is due for that calendar year;
  4. The building did not receive energy or water services for the entire calendar year required to be benchmarked.

Step 2: Energy & Water Audits with Retro-commissioning Every 5 Years

All buildings over 20,000 sq. ft. must have a Level 2 Energy & Water Audit and ASHRAE 0.2 compliant Retro-commissioning service completed and reported every 5 years, certified by a Professional Engineer (e.g. 3fficient).

What is an ASHRAE Level 2 Energy & Water Audit? An ASHRAE Level 2 audit (minimum required by EBEWE) provides in-depth identification and documentation of a building’s energy and water-use equipment, operations and calculated energy and water use compared to detailed historical (baseline) consumption. This audit examines existing conditions to pinpoint operational and capital improvements for energy and water efficiency. 3fficient has provided these audits to thousands of customers in all markets. Click here for details and a free quote.

Buyer Beware: If you plan to use any audit for planning or investing in your facility, it should always be conducted by experienced technicians and professional engineers, like those at 3fficient, with appropriate Association of Energy Engineer or ASHRAE Certifications. “Audits” by others are typically not worth the paper they are printed on resulting in inferior or negative results.

Reporting Compliance Calendar (updated 2020)

All buildings subject to energy and water audits are also subject to retro-commissioning services and reporting certified by a CA licensed professional engineer.

What is Retro-commissioning? Retro-commissioning is a professional operational assessment of low cost tune-ups or corrective measures focused on the maintenance and repairs identified by the Energy & Water Audit. Think of it as professional engineers examining and assisting with minor (low cost) changes and process improvements to make your building systems perform the way they were intended to (not necessarily the way “they always have”).

Why 3fficient? 3fficient’s technicians and licensed engineers are fully qualified to provide all services required by Los Angeles EBEWE law. Failure to comply with this ordinance shall subject the building owner to noncompliance fees (specified in Section 98.0411 of the LA Municipal Code) that may also impact financing or other property-related transactions. Click here for details and a free quote

Audit & RCx Exemptions

Energy Exemptions
  1. The building has already received Energy Star Certification from the EPA for the year of the building’s compliance due date, or for two of the three years preceding the building’s compliance due date.
  2. For buildings not eligible to receive an Energy Star score, the energy performance of the building must be 25% better than the national median energy performance of similar buildings. Energy performance calculations and comparisons are generated by Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
  3. A CA licensed engineer certifies that the building has reduced its weather normalized source Energy Use Intensity (EUI) by 15% when compared to the five years before a building’s compliance due date.
  4. Buildings without central cooling systems have completed at least four of six energy efficiency measures listed in the EBEWE guidelines within the 5 year compliance cycle being reported.
  5. The building is new and has been occupied for less than five years based on the Temporary or Final Certificate of Occupancy.
  6. The tenant pays the energy bills as specified in Section 91.9704.
Water Exemptions
  1. A CA licensed engineer certifies that the building has reduced its water use intensity by at least 20% (compared to the five years prior to the building’s compliance due date).
  2. A CA licensed engineer certifies that the building’s water use conforms to the LA Municipal and Title 24 Code in effect at any time during the five year compliance cycle.
  3. The building is new and has been occupied for less than five years from its occupancy date based on the Temporary or final Certificate of Occupancy.
  4. A building with a cooling system which does not operate by the consumption of water as part of the cooling process and where two of the three following measures were installed within five years of the due date in Section 91.9708. A report, detailing the measures performed, certified by a California licensed engineer or architect, is required: Low flow faucets and shower heads, front-loading washing machines, recently upgraded water closets and urinals.
  5. The tenant pays the water bills as specified in Section 91.9704.

Get Compliant NOW! It’s fast and easy with 3fficient.

City Filing Fees Apply:

LA charges administrative filing fees. 3fficient reports are guaranteed compliant with city filing requirements and only need owner signatures and appropriate city filing fee(s) added for submission.

  • Annual Disclosure Compliance Fee (Sec. 91.9710.1) City will charge the building owner $61 for each Annual Benchmarking Report submitted to the Department.
  • Audit and Retro-Commissioning Compliance Fee (Sec. 91.9710.2) City will charge the building owner $183 for each Confirmation of Audit and Retro-Commissioning submitted to the Department during a five year compliance cycle.

Fees last updated 2018. LA city ordinances subject to change.