Large Madison commercial buildings required to report energy usage under new program

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Madison Common Council adopted a program to reduce pollution throughout the city by requiring energy tracking, the Mayor’s office said on Wednesday.

The Building Energy Savings Program is intended to decrease carbon pollution coming from large commercial buildings by requiring owners to track their energy use annually. City of Madison said the program will use an “energy benchmarking” system that includes building tune-ups like lighting and HVAC adjustments to make sure buildings are optimizing energy usage.

The new program does not require any new system installation, just upkeep on current equipment.

Currently, commercial buildings account for 30% of all carbon pollution in Madison, and the city considers the energy program a step towards a net zero emissions policy by 2050.

“Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our era, and everybody needs be part of the solution,” Mayor Rhodes-Conway said.

The program will be phased in over time with collaboration between city staff and building owners, with the first benchmark deadline in June 2024 and the first tune-up deadline in the following October.

“By enacting the Building Energy Savings Program, we are working with covered building owners take common-sense actions to save energy. This is good for the climate, it saves businesses money on their bills, and supports green jobs,” Rhodes-Conway added.

The program’s development took two years and was a collaboration between city staff, alders, businesses, nonprofits, energy experts and others.

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