AB 802 (Williams, 2015) directed the California Energy Commission (CEC) to create a statewide building energy use benchmarking and public disclosure program for buildings larger than 50,000 square feet of gross floor area to encourage energy efficiency and to reduce environmental impacts. The purpose is to help building owners, tenants, and the general public understand the energy consumption of buildings and allow comparison of similar building across the state and country.
The program requires certain building owners to request information from the utilities, which when provided, must be entered into the Energy Star Portfolio Manager, a free online tool provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.