Los Angeles Existing Buildings Energy and Water Efficiency Program (LA EBEWE)
City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety
Los Angeles EBEWE Summary
The Existing Building Energy & Water Efficiency (EBEWE) Program was established through the addition of Division 97 to the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC), effective 1/29/2017. EBEWE consists of two parts:
Benchmarking Requirement
The annual benchmarking requirement applies to commercial and multifamily buildings 20,000 square feet or more in area. While the reporting requirement was suspended for years 2019-2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic, the suspension has been lifted, and benchmarking reports for years 2019-2023 are all due on June 1, 2024.
In 2024, all buildings subject to this ordinance must file their benchmarking report by June 1.
Audits and Retro-Commissioning (A/RCx)
The city ordinance requires an audit or retro-commissioning (RCx) for subject properties on a 5 year basis. The reports are due on December 1 every year.
In 2024, buildings whose LADBS ID ends in either 6, or 7, must file their A/RCx report by December 1. Buildings with LADBS ID ending in either 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 must file their A/RCx report by ASAP.
EBEWE Exemptions
There are provisions to receive exemptions from EBEWE A/RCx compliance requirements. All exemptions must be certified by, or performed under the supervision of, a licensed professional engineer in California. For a detailed list of exemption requirements for energy and water check out our dedicated LA EBEWE exemptions post.
Contact us today for a free no-obligation consultation.
What is the Benchmarking Requirement in EBEWE?
The annual benchmarking requirement applies to all buildings, including existing buildings, that are either:
1. Owned by the City of Los Angeles and are 7,500 square feet or more;
2. Privately owned and are 20,000 square feet or more; or
3. Owned by a local agency of the state that is required to comply with the City's building ordinances, and are 20,000 square feet or more.
Information necessary to benchmark energy and water usage, including, at a minimum, the following data:
The ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager ENERGY STAR score for the building, where available;
The weather-normalized site and source energy use intensity (EUI) per unit area per year (kBTU per square foot per year) for the building;
The site and source energy use intensity (EUI) per unit area per year (kBTU per square foot per year) for the building;
The annual carbon dioxide equivalent emissions due to energy use for the building as estimated by ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager;
Indoor water use, indoor water intensity, outdoor water use (when available), total water use, and irrigated area (if any); and
Number of years the building has been ENERGY STAR® Certified and the last approval date, if applicable.
Exceptions from EBEWE
The reporting requirement does not apply to the following buildings:
one- and two-family dwellings and related accessory structures;
residential hotels as defined by the California Health and Safety Code Section 50519;
broadcast antennas;
vehicle charging stations;
utility pumping stations;
treatment facilities;
sound stages;
structures primarily used for the production and post-production of motion pictures and television, and similar uses.
Exemptions from EBEWE Benchmarking Report Submission
The owner of a building subject to this division shall not be required to file a benchmarking report for a reporting year if any of the following conditions apply:
The building did not have a Certificate of Occupancy or Temporary Certificate of Occupancy for the entire calendar year required to be benchmarked;
The entire building was not occupied, due to renovation, for the entire calendar year required to be benchmarked;
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;
The building did not receive energy or water services for the entire calendar year required to be benchmarked.
What is the EBEWE Audit and Retro-Commissioning (A/RCx) Requirement?
All building subject to this ordinance must undergo an energy audit AND retro-commissioning (RCx) of the base building systems.
Energy Auditing
Energy audits required by this division shall meet or exceed Level II audit standards in conformance with the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits (latest edition at the time the audit is initiated) and shall be performed under the direct supervision of a California licensed engineer or architect.
Energy Retro-Commissioning (RCx)
Energy retro-commissioning shall be performed in accordance with industry standard practices, including ASHRAE Guideline 0.2 Commissioning Process for Existing Systems and Assemblies, and under the direct supervision of a California licensed engineer or architect. The retro-commissioning of the base building systems shall include, at minimum, the following:
Heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems and controls;
Indoor lighting systems and controls;
Water heating systems; and
Renewable energy systems.
What are the Base Building Systems?
Base building systems are The systems and subsystems of a building that use or distribute energy and/or water and/or impact the energy and/or water consumption, including the building envelope; the heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; air conveying systems; electrical and lighting systems; domestic hot water systems; water distribution systems; plumbing fixtures and other water-using equipment; and landscape irrigation systems and water features. Base building systems does NOT include:
Systems or subsystems owned by a tenant or for which a tenant bears full maintenance responsibility, that are within the tenant's leased space and exclusively serve such leased space, and for which the tenant pays all the energy and water bills according to usage and demand as measured by a meter or sub-meter.
Systems or subsystems owned by a residential unit owner that exclusively serve the residential unit of that owner.
Systems or subsystems that operate industrial applications such as manufacturing.
Dena Energy can help you with all aspects of the EBEWE ordinance for benchmarking, audit, RCx, and exemption applications. Contact us today for a no-cost no-obligation consultation.
Phone: (408) 658-0774
Email: info@dena.energy