Sustainability Reporting Required by Ordinance 22-17
If you haven’t already talked to your Oahu-based clients about Ordinance 22-17 (Bill 22), you should start soon. The ordinance requires Oahu building owners to report annually on the following sustainability metrics:
Site and source energy use intensity
Weather normalized site and source energy use intensity
The ENERGY STAR® score, where available
Total annual greenhouse gas emissions
Monthly energy use by fuel type
Indoor water use and water use intensity (consumption per gross square foot)
Outdoor water use (where available)
Total water use
The ENERGY STAR® Water Score (where available)
Intensity metrics take absolute numbers for energy, GHG emissions, water, etc. and puts them into the context of the size of the entity’s operations. One example of an intensity metric is the total CO2e per $1 of revenue the company emits. Another example is the number of gallons of water per square foot of land owned by a company. These metrics make its easier to compare buildings and companies of different sizes.
The goal of the bill is to make building owners aware of the resources they consume and allow them to benchmark themselves against similar buildings. This knowledge is meant to empower them to make better decisions that conserve precious resources and save money.
The bill applies to properties that exceed 25,000 square feet in gross floor area. It exempts the following buildings from the reporting requirements:
Single family, duplex, triplex and fourplex residential homes and related accessory structures, or any other residential building with fewer than five units
Any building with less than 25,000 square feet in gross floor area, that is not otherwise part of a campus for the purposes of benchmarking
Properties classified as industrial per designated Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes 20 through 39
Properties owned by government bodies not subject to the authority of this article or already governed by other articles
The sustainability reporting required by Ordinance 22-17 is for each calendar year and is required to submitted to the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resiliency (OCCSR) by June 30th of the following year. The reporting requirements are phased over several years based on the size of the covered property. The following is the schedule:
Covered properties > 100k sq. ft. - June 30, 2023
Covered properties > 50k sq. ft. but < 100k sq. ft. - June 30, 2024
Covered properties > 25k sq. ft. but < 50k sq. ft. - June 30, 2025
For more information about Ordinance 22-17, please click on the following link: https://www.resilientoahu.org/benchmarking#:~:text=Ordinance%2022%2D17%20(formerly%20Bill,energy%20and%20water%20usage%20annually. It will take you to OCCSR’s website about the ordinance and its benchmarking program. If you need assistance in complying with Ordinance 22-17, Hong Consulting stands ready to help.
