News & Events
The District of Columbia approved regulations permitting sub-metering and energy allocation for non-residential rental properties. The rules allow a property owner, property management firm, or other multi-tenant non-residential property to bill tenants for individually measured electricity and natural gas usage. The regulations became effective on November 11, 2001 and are based upon legislation sponsored by AOBA.
To view the new sub-metering and energy allocations regulations, please click here
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CHANGE TO DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING BENCHMARKING DATA Current District law requires all buildings over 200,000 square feet of gross floor area to begin submitting energy star benchmarking data on July 1, 2011. However, the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), the agency charged with administering the District’s energy star benchmarking law, recently advised AOBA that the agency will NOT publish regulations prior to July 1. The regulations, once published, will provide building owners with the necessary guidance for complying with the law, including the format for submitting the required benchmarking data to DDOE. However, DDOE does not anticipate issuing draft regulations for public comment until July with a possible October publication date for the final regulations. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU AS A BUILDING OWNER? The change will have an immediate impact on those owners with buildings over 200,0000 square feet. Building owners with properties of this size are the first group scheduled for submitting benchmarking data to DDOE. Current law, as noted above, requires the submission of that data by July 1, 2011.
CURRENT VERSION OF THE DISTRICT’S ENERGY STAR BENCHMARKING LAW (a) A new construction or substantial improvement of a nonresidential privately-owned project with 50,000 square feet of gross floor area or more shall: (1) On or before January 1, 2009, submit to the Department, as part of any building construction permit application, a green building checklist documenting the green building elements to be pursued in the building construction permit. (a-1)(1) All privately-owned buildings shall be benchmarked annually using the Energy Star® Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool as designated by the schedule in paragraph (2) of this subsection; provided, that the buildings are of a building type for which Energy Star® tools are available. Benchmark and Energy Star® statements of energy performance for each building shall, by April 1 of the following year, be made available to DDOE. In 2011 only, the scores and statements shall be made available to DDOE no later than July 1. DDOE shall, upon the receipt of the 2nd annual benchmarking data for each building, make the data accessible to the public via an online database. (2) The schedule shall be as follows: (A) All buildings over 200,000 square feet of gross floor area beginning in 2010 and thereafter; (3) Benchmarking data required in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall include water consumption data as incorporated in the Portfolio Manager Benchmarking Tool. (b)(1) A project that has submitted an application for the first building construction permit after January 1, 2010, for new construction or substantial improvements for real property acquired by a real property disposition by sale to a private entity undertaken by the District or an instrumentality of the District shall be verified as having fulfilled or exceeded the LEED-NC 2.2 or LEED-CS 2.0 standard at the certification level. (2) A project that has submitted the first construction building construction permit after January 1, 2012, for new construction or substantial improvements shall fulfill the following requirements as applicable: (A) A nonresidential project and a post-secondary educational facility projects shall be verified as having fulfilled or exceeded the LEED-NC 2.2 or LEED-CS 2.0 standard at the certification level. (B) An educational facility project, except a post-secondary educational facility project, shall be verified as having fulfilled or exceeded the LEED for Schools standard at the certification level or a substantially equivalent rating system that requires full-building commissioning. Schools shall aspire to meet LEED for Schools certification at the Gold level or higher. (b-1) A project that has submitted the 1st construction building construction permit after January 1, 2012, for new construction or substantial improvement shall, prior to construction, estimate its energy performance using the Energy Star® Target Finder Tool and be benchmarked annually using the Energy Star® Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool; provided, that the building has 50,000 square feet of gross floor area or more and is of a building type for which Energy Star® tools are available. Benchmark and Target Finder scores and Energy Star® statements of energy performance for each building shall, within 60 days of being generated, be made available to DDOE, which shall make the data accessible to the public via an online database. (c) A building owner or tenant who fails to timely, accurately, and completely submit the benchmarking information required by this section to DDOE or the building owner, respectively, shall be assessed a penalty by DDOE of not more than $100 for each day during which the required submission has not been made. Civil infraction fines, penalties, and fee may be imposed as alternative sanctions for such failure, pursuant to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Civil Infractions Act of 1985, effective October 5, 1985 (D.C. Law 6-42; D.C. Official Code § 2-1801 et seq. (“Civil Infractions Act”). Adjudication of an infraction shall be pursuant to the Civil Infractions Act.
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Please find the June 20, 2011 presentation of Terry Darton of the VA Department of Environment Quality to AOBA members. The presentation addressed permit requirements and regulatory compliance with environmental quality air emission standards by commercial buildings in Virginia regarding the use of generators, boilers and water heaters.
To view or download full presentation, please click here
Your DC Water Bill - An AOBA Presentation
What's New? What changes can you expect in the future?
Please click on the following link to view the full presentation:
DC Water Presentation - AOBA Utility Committee Meeting - April 20, 2011
Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington Endorses AOBA Alliance
In January 2011, RAMW signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Alliance endorsing the Alliance as its energy supplier through the Alliance relationship with CNE. Members of RAMW will receive assistance from the Alliance with procuring energy supply, both electric and gas, and other energy related services from CNE through the Alliance. RAMW members will also be extended invitations to attend AOBA Alliance Energy Market Update Conferences and Educational Seminars held throughout the year.
Participation in the AOBA Alliance is open to all RAMW members and associates.
About the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington
Established in 1920, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s vision was to unite restaurateurs and food service industry professionals of the Washington area. Today, RAMW, a trade association, has more than 700 members in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland and serves as the voice of establishments ranging from casual eateries to internationally acclaimed fine dining restaurants. For over 90 years RAMW has been "fighting for the right to eat, drink and be merry, hospitably, responsibly and profitably®.” For more information go to www.ramw.org
For full details, see the press release.
Philadelphia—Oct. 27, 2010—The AOBA Alliance, Inc., announced today that it is now offering electricity procurement services to office buildings, apartment buildings, and all commercial PECO customers. Rate caps expire in the PECO service territory beginning Jan. 1, 2011. Businesses should be evaluating their electricity supply options now in order to take advantage of today’s favorable energy market conditions that have seen wholesale electricity prices drop more than 50 percent from their peak two years ago.
For full details, see the press release.
Washington, D.C. Feb. 23, 2010 – The AOBA Alliance, Inc., announced today that it has chosen Constellation NewEnergy, a subsidiary of Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG), as its new energy services supplier. The AOBA Alliance, Inc. has been assisting commercial customers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia in the procurement of competitive energy services since the deregulation of electricity markets approximately 10 years ago. Over the past decade AOBA Alliance participation has grown to roughly 650 megawatts of peak load and nearly 3.0 billion kilowatt-hours of annual electricity sales. Through this new relationship, the AOBA Alliance has the potential to become Constellation NewEnergy’s largest retail customer and will provide an array of energy services to non-residential electricity and natural gas users throughout the metropolitan area.
For full details, see the press release.