ENERGY USE REDUCTION FOR NEW, EXISITING, AND LEASED BUILDINGS - 1815

(Revised: 05/2026)

 

Legal Authority

Executive Order B-18-12

Government Code section 8316

Green Building Action Plan

Definitions

Definitions can be found on the Green Glossary at https://www.green.ca.gov/buildings/resources/glossary/

Policy

All state agencies shall achieve targets and timelines for energy use reductions established in Executive Order B-18-12 and the Green Building Action Plan for buildings they design, build, manage, or lease.

Agencies shall include their strategies and procedures to achieve these targets in their Five-Year Infrastructure Plan updates and sustainability roadmaps.

All monthly energy consumption data shall be entered into the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® by March 1 of each year.

1.   New Buildings and Major Renovations

1. All new building and major renovation project computer modeling, reports, and other related documentation prepared as part of the design process shall become the property of the state once the project is closed out and/or has received an occupancy permit.
2. All new building and major renovation projects shall be designed and constructed to exceed by 15 percent or more the applicable version of the Title 24, Part 6, Building Energy Efficiency Standards, and include building commissioning.
3. All new building and major renovation projects less than 10,000 gross square feet of building area (gsf) shall meet or exceed applicable Tier One project requirements. (Title 24, Part 11, California Green Building Standards.)
4. All new building and major renovation projects larger than 5,000 gsf and exceeding an energy use intensity (EUI) of 50,000 British thermal units (BTU)/gsf, or larger than 10,000 gsf shall be commissioned in accordance with California Title 24, Part 6, Energy Efficiency Standards  and approved rating system that are in effect and utilized at the time.
5. All new building and major renovation projects larger than 10,000 gsf shall:
   1. Install and operate all design-appropriate and economically feasible clean, renewable power generation including, but not limited to solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, and wind power generation including clean backup power supplies.
      1. To the extent possible, explore methods of alternative financing including but not limited to power purchase agreements (PPAs) or other mechanisms to fund, install, and/or manage on-site or off-site renewable energy generation.
   2. Obtain a green building rating, based upon applicable standards in effect at the time project schematic design documents are initiated by the state agency.
      1. Since 2004, the state has utilized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as the default green building rating system. However, any building rating systems that generally cover the same sustainability subject matter may be utilized.
      2. In determining the specific building rating system, for projects managed by DGS, approval of the proposal as to which system to be used shall be made by the Deputy Director of the Real Estate Services Division (RESD) of the Department of General Services.
      3. At the beginning of the design of a given project, or earlier if a feasibility, infrastructure, or other study is to be performed, the project team shall propose a building rating system and level of certification by memo to the Deputy Director of RESD.
      4. In proposing a building rating system, the project team shall ensure that the system advances the state’s priorities for sustainable design, is feasible to achieve, and is achievable without undue cost burden to the project (either in direct costs to document/obtain the certification or indirectly through cost-ineffective requirements).
      5. At no time shall the building rating system, nor the specific level of certification for a given project, be less than what is required by Executive Order and statute.
6. All new buildings and major renovation projects shall include an Energy Management Systems (EMS) with a training program for energy management and maintenance staff; or shall include an Energy Management Plan.
7. All EMS systems shall be Automated Demand Response capable and enrolled with the state’s Demand Response provider/aggregator where feasible.

2.   Existing Buildings

1. All existing buildings over 50,000 gsf shall obtain a green building rating, for existing buildings based upon applicable standards.
   1. Since 2004, the state has utilized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as the default green building rating system. However, any building rating systems that generally cover the same sustainability subject matter may be utilized.
   2. For buildings under the jurisdiction of DGS, the selection of the rating system proposed shall be approved by the Deputy Director of the Facilities Management Division.
   3. Buildings shall also meet or exceed an ENERGY STAR rating of 75, to the maximum extent cost-effective.
2. All state agencies shall take measures to reduce annual grid-based energy purchases for existing buildings by 20 percent, compared to a 2003 calendar year baseline. Total grid-based energy purchases shall be calculated in equivalent thousand British thermal units (kBtu Site) when compared to purchases in calendar year 2003 for all forms of energy provided (for example, electricity, natural gas, propane, and any other forms of energy) according to Table 1 below.

    

   Table 1: Site Energy kBtu Conversion
   ENERGY TYPE	ENERGY UNIT	SITE ENERGY CONVERSION
   Electricity	1 kilowatt hour	3.412 kBtu
   Natural Gas	1 therm	99.976 kBtu
   Propane	1 gallon	95.500 kBtu

   
   
   1. Retail electricity purchases for water management activities directly associated with water conveyance and flood control are excluded.
   2. Agencies shall set up automated energy data transfers from their utility into the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager database, if available from their utility.
3. All state agencies shall participate in all available demand response power supply programs, through the DGS OS’s Demand Response provider/aggregator where feasible, designed to reduce peak electrical loads when such programs do not adversely affect state agency building operations, occupant performance or indoor environmental quality.
4. Existing buildings shall incorporate building commissioning to facilitate improved and efficient building operations as set forth in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Building Commissioning Criteria For Existing State Buildings
Building Type	Building Area (gsf)	EUI (kBtu/sq. ft)	Required Commissioning
All existing state buildings	>50,000 gsf	EUI > 20	Monitoring-basedcommissioning(MBCx)
	>5,000 gsf	EUI > 100	MBCx
Metered state buildings	>10,000 gsf	EUI > 30	MBCx

 

3.   Leased Buildings

1. All state agency build-to-suit leases shall be designed and constructed to meet the requirements of Section 1 above for New Buildings and Major Renovations.
2. All new and renegotiated state building leases shall encourage lower than industry-standard energy and other resource use to the extent possible and economically feasible. These leases should also encourage landlords to participate in available utility programs that offer financial incentives and alternative financing to cover energy efficiency measure and renewable power system incremental costs.
3. All new state building leases shall, where economically feasible, require the use of submeters for gathering energy use data as needed to complete ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager reports.
4. Renegotiated state building leases for buildings, where the state is a sole tenant, shall provide energy use data, if possible, for completing ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager energy use evaluations and for benchmarking reports.
5. All state-leased facilities shall request that the lessor participate in cost-effective demand response power supply programs designed to reduce peak electrical loads, through the DGS OS’s Demand Response provider/aggregator where feasible, without adversely affecting state agency building operations, occupant comfort and performance, or indoor environmental quality requirements. Sustainable operations and practices can be found in Chapter 1800 of SAM. 

4.   Reporting Requirements

1. Agencies shall update and incorporate energy use reduction goals in their Five-Year Infrastructure Plans on an annual basis and the biennial sustainability roadmaps.
2. Annual whole building energy use shall be entered into the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager database; access shall be granted to the DGS Office of Sustainability.
3. Benchmarking of initially occupied new buildings and build-to-suit leases should begin upon building occupancy.

Responsibilities

Agency

1. Update Five-Year Infrastructure Plan annually, to include goals and actionable items to achieve energy use reduction and include in biennial Sustainability Roadmaps.
2. Enter monthly energy consumption data into the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® including electricity, natural gas, propane on-site renewable energy, and any other forms of energy. Onsite renewable energy generated counts toward energy reductions and is not included in total energy purchases.
3. Verify all data is complete and accurate by March 1st each calendar year for the previous calendar year by emailing DGS Office of Sustainability.
4. Provide online access to the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager database to the DGS Office of Sustainability.

DGS-Office of Sustainability

1. Publish the New, Existing, and Leased building sustainability reporting metrics on the Green California website.
2. Coordinate all benchmarking and interagency sustainability reporting, sustainability roadmaps, and sustainability policy development.

DGS-Deputy Director, Real Estate Services Division

1. Review and approve green building rating for New Buildings and Major Renovations for projects managed by DGS.

DGS-Deputy Director, Facilities Management Division

1. Review and approve green building rating for existing buildings under the jurisdiction of DGS.

Resources

 Design Guidelines to Consider:

• Energy Design Resources, Investor-Owned Utilities PG&E,SDG&E, SCE, SMUD,and LADWP
• California Energy Design Assistance Program (CEDA)
• Saving Energy in Commercial Buildings, NREL, U.S. Department of Energy
• Energy Star Building Upgrade Manual, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• National Institute of Building Sciences Whole Building Design Guide
• California Commissioning Guides for New Buildings and Existing Buildings
• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Resources, US Green Building Council
• Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency

 

 

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