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. Audits and retro-commissioning 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 the 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.

Step 2: Energy & Water Audits Every 5 Years

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

What is an Energy & Water Audit?

  • ASHRAE Level 1 audit is a walkthrough assessment. Typical providers include utilities, equipment vendors and Calif Conservation Corps students. 3fficient offers a free level 1 energy audit online that leverages national datasets and proprietary modeling and cost data.
  • 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 a free quote.
  • ASHRAE Level 3 audit (allowable by EBEWE, but not required) is significantly more involved, using detailed building and equipment simulation software to more accurately model projected utility savings along and capital costs. This is often referred to an investment grade audit used for larger, more complex buildings or campuses where financial risks are higher. Click here for a free quote.

Note: 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 Certifications. “Audits” by others are typically not worth the paper they are printed on resulting in inferior or negative results.

Step 3. Retro-commissioning (RCx) Immediately following Audits

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

What is Retro-commissioning?

Retro-commissioning is a professional operational assessment along with the necessary corrections focused on the maintenance and repairs identified by the Level 2 or 3 Audit. Think of it as professional engineers examining and assisting with minor changes and process improvements to make your building systems perform the way they were intended to (not necessarily the way “they always have”).

Audit & RCx Exemptions

Energy:
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 engineers 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. A building without a central cooling system has completed four of six energy efficiency measures listed in the EBEWE guidelines within the 5 year compliance cycle being reported.

Water:
1. A 3fficient 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. Buildings without central cooling systems that have completed two of three water efficiency measures listed in the EBEWE guidelines within the 5 year compliance cycle being reported.
3. A 3fficient 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.
4. 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.

3fficient’s licensed engineers are fully qualified to provide all services or exemptions 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.

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 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.