PHILADELPHIA-The city has sent compliance notices to owners and operators of large buildings that they must comply with its new Building Energy Benchmarking Law by Oct. 31.

The new law requires building owners and operators of more than 50,000 square feet of indoor floor space or mixed-use buildings where more than 50,000 square feet is devoted to commercial use to disclose annual energy usage and water consumption at the property, according to the Roxborough Review.

“In order to make Philadelphia the greenest city in America and improve the city's energy efficiency and cost savings, we need to make a concerted effort across the city to reduce energy use in buildings,” states Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “By requiring the measurement and recording of energy use in buildings, people will begin to think more critically about energy efficiency. I am proud that we are the sixth American city to enact this legislation, and I hope that many of Philadelphia's building owners will explore how to improve their energy performance.”

The Building Energy Benchmarking Law was passed as part of Mayor Nutter's Greenworks Plan and is designed to reduce citywide building energy use by 10% in 2015. See story in the Roxborough Review.