Colorado’s Building Performance Program
Benchmarking and building performance standards reduce emissions statewide.
Colorado has established progressive emission reduction goals for the building sector. We aim to reduce emissions from large commercial, multifamily, and public buildings by 7% by 2026 and 20% by 2030, compared to 2021 levels. Efficient energy use in buildings leads to lower utility costs for building owners and tenants, while also reducing harmful air pollution that causes climate change and a variety of health issues.
The state’s Building Performance Colorado program, which includes benchmarking requirements and Building Performance Standards, will help us meet these goals. These policies apply to commercial, multifamily and public buildings 50,000 square feet and larger (“covered buildings”).
The BPC program not only helps building owners reduce their emissions and energy costs, but also supports workforce training and job growth in Colorado – especially in the fast-growing energy efficiency sector.
For more information, contact the Building Performance Colorado Help desk: building.performance@state.co.us.
Colorado’s Benchmarking Program
Energy benchmarking is critical to understanding how building owners and operators can reduce energy costs and improve performance in their buildings.
Benchmarking refers to tracking and reporting a building’s energy use.
Benchmarking requirements increase transparency and accountability for how buildings use energy and helps building owners:
Building owners are required to submit an annual benchmarking report on June 1 every year.
For Building Owners:
The 2024 Building Performance Colorado reporting season officially closed on 8/14/24 after a short extension. The reporting season will open again in 2025. We recommend building owners start planning for and coordinating their reporting prior to the start of the next reporting season.
All owners of commercial, multifamily, and public buildings larger than 50,000 square feet must comply with the benchmarking requirements, so understanding them is critical. The BPC program includes training opportunities and a dedicated help center to assist building owners
The Building Performance Colorado Helpdesk includes information on the requirements, a compliance map, instructions to submit reports and pay fees, program forms, and training resources.
Additionally, visit the Building Owner Portal to view your benchmarking reports, compliance status, and forms you have submitted, as well as contact information, tax assessor information, and previous correspondence with the Building Performance Colorado Program.
Building Owner Portal
For Utilities:
Utilities are required to provide building owners with their aggregated energy use data. By sharing these data, utilities assist building owners and improve benchmarking reporting compliance. CEO provides a variety of resources to simplify data sharing for utilities.
Building Performance Standards
To meet statutory, sector-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of 7% by 2026 and 20% by 2030 from 2021 levels, Building Performance Standards create energy performance targets for covered buildings to meet over the coming years, such as specific reductions in energy use or GHG emissions. These standards help drive investments in energy efficiency and beneficial electrification, which will save energy and money while reducing GHG pollution from buildings over time.
The Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) adopted the rules for the State’s BPS on August 17, 2023, which took effect October 15, 2023.
CEO has developed Technical Guidance to help building owners and industry professionals understand these new building performance requirements. The Technical Guidance covers the specific requirements, options for demonstrating compliance, and strategies to reduce energy use and carbon emissions in buildings.
The State’s program does not supersede or replace local performance standard requirements. Building owners will need to comply with both State and local BPS requirements.
Additional Resources
If you are looking for financing opportunities, please visit the Clean Energy Financing webpage. Additional information about funding and financing resources is linked below. This resource will be updated regularly.
View all materials relating to Building Performance Colorado.
View Funding and Financing Resources Spreadsheet
