Everything you need to know about BEPS

What is BEPS?

BEPS is Washington DC’s Building Emission Standard, with the goal of becoming fully carbon neutral by 2045. It differs from NYC and Boston’s ordinances in that it penalizes building owners based on the gap between current performance and the target. 

Who Qualifies?

Large Buildings: Starting 2026, buildings 50,000 square feet or larger will be formally evaluated.

Mid-Size Buildings: Buildings 25,000-49,000 square feet are not subject to any targets yet, but owners must continue benchmarking and submit energy data by May 1 2026. 

Small Buildings: Buildings 10,000-24,999 square feet must start benchmarking. Targets will apply in 2033.

Event Large Buildings (50,000+ sq ft) Mid-size Buildings (25,000–49,999 sq ft) Small Buildings (10,000–24,999 sq ft)
2026
  • Final year of benchmarking period.
  • Submit annual energy and water usage data via ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
  • Final year of benchmarking period.
  • Submit annual energy and water usage data via ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
  • Submit first benchmarking report.
  • Begin recording and reporting annual energy and water usage data via ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
May 1, 2027 (evaluation)
  • Submit third-party verified benchmarking data from 2026.
  • DOEE evaluates building against the median ENERGY STAR score for its property type.
  • Buildings that score below the median must pay a fine.
  • Compliance Period 1 begins.
  • Buildings must start implementing energy efficiency improvements to meet their BEPS target.
  • Continue annual benchmarking and reporting.
  • No compliance requirements yet.
2027–2031
  • No active compliance obligations during this period.
  • Await next BEPS compliance cycle.
  • Implement energy efficiency retrofits and strategies to meet BEPS target.
  • Submit annual energy and water usage data through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
  • Continue annual benchmarking and reporting.
  • No compliance requirements yet.
May 1, 2032 (evaluation)
  • No evaluation this cycle.
  • Await next BEPS compliance cycle.
  • Submit third-party verified benchmarking data from 2031.
  • DOEE evaluates building against the median ENERGY STAR score for its property type.
  • Buildings that score below the median must pay a fine.
  • Final year of benchmarking period.
  • DOEE establishes median ENERGY STAR score baselines for small building property types using collected data.
2033–2037
  • No active compliance obligations during this period.
  • Await next BEPS compliance cycle.
  • No active compliance obligations during this period.
  • Await next BEPS compliance cycle.
  • Compliance Period 1 begins.
  • Implement energy efficiency retrofits and strategies to meet BEPS target.
  • Submit annual energy and water usage data through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
May 1, 2038 (evaluation)
  • No evaluation this cycle.
  • Await next BEPS compliance cycle.
  • No evaluation this cycle.
  • Await next BEPS compliance cycle.
  • Submit third-party verified benchmarking data from 2037.
  • DOEE evaluates building against the median ENERGY STAR score for its property type.
  • Buildings that score below the median must pay a fine.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

D.C. has a unique approach to penalizing non-compliant buildings. While the maximum fine is $10/square foot, capped at $7.5M per property, they have a proportional deduction system. For example, if the building’s goal was to reduce their energy expenditure by 20% to get below the median, but only achieved a 15% reduction in energy usage, the building would only pay proportional to the five percentage points (25% of the fine).