The State of California has selected Touchstone IQ as the benchmarking software provider for its Building Energy Benchmarking Program.
California State’s benchmarking program is aimed to collect and publicly disclose the energy use of commercial and multifamily buildings. The collected information is expected to help building owners and occupants make better decisions about purchasing, leasing, maintenance, and investing in upgrades to reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
Multifamily buildings greater than 50,000 square feet with 17 or more units and commercial buildings greater than 50,000 square feet are required to submit data annually as part of California’s mandatory benchmarking policy that went into effect in 2018.
The California Energy Commission (CEC) selected Touchstone IQ software to enable greater efficiency and advancement of program goals — after five years of program implementation and data collection.
“Utilizing the Touchstone IQ platform will allow the CEC to increase benchmarking compliance rates and identify additional opportunities to improve the reporting process and communication with building owners,” said Michael Sokol, Director, CEC Efficiency Division.
The CEC works and coordinates with federal, state, and local agencies as well as Tribal governments to achieve California’s climate goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.