Energy benchmarking; access to data on energy usage in certain buildings, civil penalty.

Energy benchmarking; access to data on energyusage in certain buildings; civil penalty. Authorizes a localityto adopt an ordinance requiring utilities, upon request by the ownerof a covered building, defined in the bill as any building with oneor more utility accounts and a gross floor area of not less than30,000 square feet, to provide the owner with aggregated measuredenergy usage data for multiple utility accounts of customers receivingservice in the covered building. The bill makes such energy benchmarkingmandatory for a covered building with three or more active utility accounts in which no single utility account amounts to at least85 percent of the aggregated energy usage and optional for other covered buildings. The bill provides that the building owner shallonly provide aggregated data received via the benchmarking tool subject to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager guidelines unless the Departmentof Energy gives other guidelines. Violators of the ordinance aresubject to a civil penalty of not more than $2,500 to be paid intothe state treasury for the general fund. The bill requires the Departmentto develop uniform guidelines for energy benchmarking with inputfrom stakeholders, with such guidelines finalized no later than December1, 2022.