ROSSLYN, Va. — The Atlanta City Council unanimously passed a building energy benchmarking and disclosure ordinance. Two days later, the Portland, Oregon, City Council unanimously adopted its own benchmarking ordinance, making Atlanta and Portland the 12th and 13th U.S. cities, respectively, to adopt such policies.

Kevin J. Cosgriff, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) president and CEO, stated, “NEMA and its members support Atlanta’s and Portland’s ordinances because they will increase transparency and give building owners and occupants information about the true cost of operating their buildings.”

Cosgriff added, “Few of us would buy a car without first knowing its miles-per-gallon rating, and many of us consult nutrition labels on food products before making a choice. But we frequently don’t do that in detail with buildings and in many markets it is impossible to compare the energy performance of two different buildings. These ordinances fill that information gap, allowing prospective buyers and renters to understand the full and more detailed cost of operating the buildings in which they work, live, learn, or play.”

These ordinances will save energy and create local jobs by making energy use transparent for large commercial and municipal buildings, said NEMA. The association has actively supported benchmarking and disclosure policies across the country, and is working to ensure that building owners and renters have the information they need to make informed decisions about how they use energy.

For more information, visit www.nema.org.

Publication date: 5/4/2015 

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