Benchmarking Municipal Buildings &
Clean Energy Upgrades

Why an energy use benchmark report?

From the NYS Climate Smart Communities website...

PE3 Action: Benchmarking - Municipal Buildings:

"Buildings account for about 32% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in New York State. Building energy benchmarking involves tracking energy use, measuring performance over time, and comparing building performance against similar buildings and against expected performance under the same climatic conditions. Benchmarking helps building owners and managers identify opportunities to reduce emissions, cut energy waste, drive continuous improvement, and quantify energy savings. When used for government buildings, energy benchmarking typically involves annually reporting and publicly disclosing the data. This promotes transparency in government operations and lays the groundwork for the local government to identify opportunities for improving energy efficiency in municipal buildings."

What's in the report?

The annual report posted here is used to track Columbia County's municipal buildings’ energy performance. By comparing annual reports the county can gain insights into its overall energy use, including potential cost savings. This report includes the 23 county municipal buildings larger than 1,000 sq. ft. It contains information on the size and location of the buildings, the energy used per square foot for each building, and the total greenhouse gas emissions for each building,  for the years 2020 and 2021.