Let's get started.

​​Step 1 - Let’s determine your building’s BEPS status. Your building’s status is one of the following:

• Covered
• ​Covered, but Eligible for Exem​ption
• ​Not Covered

Step 2 - You know your building's status. What’s next for yo​u?​​​​

Step 3 - Enter the BEPS Portal to see the covered buildings list, obtain a Unique Building Identifier (UBID) for benchmarking, and/or submit exemption forms.

Step 4 - If covered, benchmark in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager by September 1st, 2025​.

Step 5 - Learn more and answer your questions using these helpful resources.​​

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Your building is…

​ Covered if:

The gross square footage of the commercial or multifamily residential building is greater than or equal to 35,000 square feet excluding the parking garage area, and is:

• A single building, as defined by the building's “envelope"; or
  
• Two or more buildings that are served in whole or in part by the same electric or gas meter or are served by the same heating or cooling system or systems, which is not a district energy system. 
  

Please note: If you did not receive a postcard from us, but the above description applies to your building, you still need to meet the requirements of this regulation. 

​ Covered, but eligible to apply for exemption if:​

The gross square footage of the commercial or multifamily residential building is greater than or equal to 35,000 square feet excluding the parking garage area, and is:

• A building, or space within a building, individually designated as a historic property under federal, State, or local law, separate and apart from a building's inclusion in a historic district; 
• Public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school; 
  
• A manufacturing building; ​
  
• An agricultural building; 
• A building owned by the federal government; or
  
• A demolished building. 

Not covered if:​

• The building(s) does (do) not meet the criteria for coverage listed above; or,
• The building(s) is (are) a single-family home or a townhome. (A townhome is defined as single unit extending from the foundation to the roof.)​
  
  

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You know your buildings status. What's next for you?​

Covered

Covered building owners are required to annually “benchmark" buildings subject to the performance standards. 

When benchmarking your building: 

• Submit previous calendar year whole-building energy consumption data to the Department online through a free tool, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Submit this by September 1st in 2025 and June 1st in 2026 and beyond. When submitting reports, building owners must use the assigned UBID (see Step 1 below). 
• Note that in addition to benchmarking your building yourself, you can hire a company to do it for you. ENERGY STAR's Service and Product Provider Directory has a list of qualified contractors, and the subset Most Active Providers List details the number of buildings they benchmark. 
  
• Please review our detailed Benchmarking Guide. Below are the high-level steps. 

Step 1: Go to the covered buildings list on the BEPS Portal and find your building and its UBID. You can search for your building by it s address. If you are unsure if the entry is your building, you can click on the UBID listed in the portal to view it on the map. The primary use type and floor area is based on publicly available data and will be updated based on supplied information after building owners submit their benchmarking reports via ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. 

• If your covered building is listed, make note of your UBID and proceed to step 2. 
• If your building is not included on the list but it is subject to the regulations, first view the map of covered buildings to confirm your building is not already listed under a different street address. If you find your building, click on it to view the UBID. The address will be updated based on the information provided to the Department in the benchmarking report (Step 6). 
• If your building is still not listed, please register in the BEPS portal and submit a “request for UBID" form. You may start steps 2-5 while waiting to be assigned a UBID.

Step 2: Create your ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Account and fill in the required property information. If you have a UBID, enter it now. 

Step 3: Contact your electric and/or gas company to obtain your monthly, whole-building energy usage data for the previous calendar year. Review the data for accuracy. To find this information, please see your provider's contact information and data request process in “Connecting with Your Energy Data Provider." Note that the usage data on delivered fuels (propane, diesel, fuel oil, etc.) from your delivery bills is also required. More details are below.

Step 4: Enter energy usage data for all fuel types into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. 

Step 5: Run the Data Quality Checker in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. 

Step 6: Share the property with MD-BEPS on ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. For more information, view the Benchmarking Guide. Note: your submission will not be valid without a UBID. 

Step 7: Assess your building's performance. 

Between 2025 and 2030, building owners need only to submit their benchmarking report. However, after benchmarking you should refer to the greenhouse gas emissions standards in the regulation to assess whether physical improvements will be needed to improve the building's energy performance in order to meet the standards. Buildings will be required to meet greenhouse gas emissions standards that phase downward to zero by 2040 or make an alternative compliance payment for their emissions over the targets. Emissions standards are set by property type, such as offices, warehouses, and multifamily apartments. If your building has a combination of use types (e.g. a retail store and multifamily housing), your standards will be an area-weighted average. 

Covered, but Eligible for Exemption

If you believe your building qualifies for an exemption, please follow these steps: 

Step 1: Go to the covered buildings list on the BEPS Portal and find your building and its UBID. You can search for your building by address. If you are unsure if the entry is your building, you can click on the UBID listed in the portal to view it on the map. 

• If your building is listed, make note of your UBID and proceed to S​tep 2. 
• If your building is not included on the list but it is subject to the regulations, first view the map of covered buildings to confirm your building is not already listed under a different street address. 
• If your building is still not listed, please register in the portal and submit a “request for UBID" form.

Step 2: Register for an account. 

Step 3: Click the blue clipboard action button for your building on the covered buildings list. Select the exemption form that is relevant to your building. 

Step 4: Fill out the form for your building with the UBID and required documentation and submit the form.​

Not Covered

If your building is not covered and you received a postcard from us, then your building is listed on the BEPS Portal. Search for your building on the portal and submit a categorical exemption form titled “under 35,000 sq ft," providing necessary documentation. If your building is not covered and you did not receive a postcard no action is required. ​

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