CEA Energy and Water Benchmarking
Building benchmarking compares a building’s energy and water performance against buildings of comparable use. The CEA Energy and Water Benchmarking Program is mandatory for all commercial buildings in New Jersey larger than 25,000 sq. ft.
Status
Active program
Schedule
July 1, 2026 - Submission deadline
Building owners will be notified in the first quarter of 2026.
Program Contacts
Relevant Audiences
On this page
About the Program
New Jersey joins an increasing number of states and municipalities across the United States in establishing benchmarking programs to measure the energy and water performance of buildings. Through the CEA Benchmarking Program, all commercial buildings over 25,000 square feet in the State of New Jersey are required to benchmark energy and water use for the prior calendar year using the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Portfolio Manager tool.
The video below explains more about the benefits of benchmarking a building:
Current Status
Late Reporting Accepted Through 12/31/25!
If you were unable to submit your 2025 benchmarking report for the period covering calendar year 2024 (January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024) prior to the reporting deadline, it’s not too late! We are accepting late submissions through December 31, 2025. To submit a late benchmarking report, please follow the instructions on this webpage.
All building owners that submit a late benchmarking report that passes our internal data quality checks will be marked as “Reported Late” in our system.
The NJ BPU acknowledges that there were some technical issues with reporting in some utility service areas. Staff is accepting late data submissions for those impacted and encourage building owners to submit their 2025 benchmarking report. Please submit the 2025 benchmarking report by December 31, 2025.
December 31, 2025 marks the official end of the 2025 reporting season. Building owners that fail to submit a report by this date will have the opportunity to submit retroactive reports during the 2026 reporting season. More information on this process will be provided on the NJ BPU Benchmarking Knowledgebase in the first quarter of 2026.
How to Complete a Submission
- Who does the benchmarking submission? You may make the benchmarking submission yourself, if you are sufficiently familiar with how to benchmark a building. Alternatively, you may hire either a third party consultant familiar with Portfolio Manager or a NJ Certified Benchmarker to assist you.
- Apply for an exemption- You may request an exemption from benchmarking for the reasons listed here.To apply for an exemption go to the link below:
Apply for an Exemption - Familiarize yourself with Portfolio Manager - If you have never used Portfolio Manager, please watch this three-part training series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 - Create Portfolio Manager account- If you do not already have a Portfolio Manager account, register with ENERGY STAR . From your Portfolio Manager account, create the profile(s) for your property(s) within Portfolio Manager.
- Assign Unique Building Identification (UBID) to your property(s)-
Your Property’s UBID is shown on your Property’s notification letter. Click here for instructions. - Request utility data- Building-level utility data must be entered for your Property’s profile. Our Utility Data Webpage addresses a diversity of situations and will guide you through how to request building-level data from your electric, natural gas, and water utilities.
- Submitting data for your property(s)- Submit data to the NJ Board of Public Utilities (BPU).
- Run a quality assurance check- To ensure that you entered your Property’s profile data correctly, please run a quality assurance check within Portfolio Manager. This will enable you to identify and correct inadvertent errors in data entry.
Portfolio Manager’s Data Quality Checker - Share your property(s) with the NJ BPU!
How to Share Property Data with BPU
Covered Buildings
Every year, if your building is covered , you will receive a submission notification from the Board. For this reporting year (2025), you will receive notification in the first quarter of 2026. Benchmarking submissions are due July 1, 2026.
For buildings owned by multiple parties, please provide your notification letter and information to your facility manager or operator to complete benchmarking on your behalf.
Exemptions
Building owners or operators may apply for and may be eligible for an exemption from the benchmarking requirement under the following conditions:
New Buildings – New buildings must be operational for a full calendar year before a building owner is required to benchmark that Covered Building. The New Jersey tax assessment database, MOD-IV, will be used to qualify new buildings as operational for purposes of benchmarking. A commercial building will not be added to the Covered Buildings list until the second year after the year-built, as listed in the MOD-IV database.
Demolitions – Recently- or soon-to-be-demolished buildings may be removed from the Covered Buildings list, provided that the building owner submits a certificate of approval for demolition.
Unoccupied – If a building is unoccupied for a full year (365 days), the building owner may receive an exemption, provided that the building owner submits an affidavit or certification of non-occupancy.
Foreclosure or Bankruptcy – If an action for foreclosure or bankruptcy has been filed during a particular reporting year, the building owner may apply to receive an exemption for the given reporting year.
Other Conditions – Certain other situations for good cause may be removed from the Covered Buildings list (e.g., the building’s size falls below the threshold, there is an error in the Covered Buildings list, or an unregulated utility does not apply the 4/50 rule and provide aggregated building-level data and refuses to provide individual data even with tenant consent), and after providing appropriate evidence justifying such removal.
Property Sales: Building owners, if your building was sold before 2025, please submit an exemption request. If you sold the building or made an addition during 2025, you must still benchmark and submit data by the submission deadline for the given program year.
To apply for an exemption, please follow these steps:
- Gather appropriate evidence for the exemption in the form of a pdf.
- Complete an Exemption Request Form.
- Click on the "Submit Ticket" button when the form is completed.
Additional Program Information
The BPU held a public stakeholder meeting on January 5, 2023 on the “Procedures for Building Owners to Meet Their Benchmarking Obligations.” See documentation below:
Portfolio Manager
US Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Portfolio Manager is an online tool to help building owners track and evaluate the energy and water performance of their buildings:
Additional Instructions on Portfolio Manager
If you need assistance completing your property's profile, see Data Collection Worksheet and click on prompts on that webpage. The worksheet will provide you with the data you need to complete the profile.
Policy Background
Program Implementation
Policy Development