What We Do Best

Energy Policy Compliance

Compliance to most City’s Energy Policy is mandatory, but Blue Ocean helps our clients extract real benefits from the process.

Blue Ocean – Austin’s #1 service provider – does more compliance audits than our competitors for one reason…we help our clients identify energy savings and reduced costs.

Learn more about your area's Energy Policy

Our Energy Compliance Services

As part of Blue Ocean’s energy compliance services we use Portfolio Manager (an industry standard model) for comparing a building’s energy performance to peer buildings across the U.S. facilitating true benchmarking. More than 40 % of U.S. commercial space is benchmarked in Portfolio Manager.  The objective of Portfolio Manager’s ENERGY STAR® score is to provide a fair energy assessment of the performance of a property relative to its peers, taking into account the climate, weather, and business activities at the property.

For high-performing buildings, the information collected can be utilized in obtaining the prestigious ENERGY STAR® certification, signaling to the marketplace that the building is in the top 25% of energy efficient buildings.

Blue Ocean’s Audit services include additional energy usage parameters such as peak demand, power factor, and cost analysis, as well as a client-specific energy cost forecasting over the next decade. As part of Blue Ocean’s service, we also provide a utility invoice audit.

Blue Ocean guarantees energy compliance for all of our clients. Blue Ocean retains all records and documentation for any compliance in perpetuity. All future questions regarding compliance and/or assistance when a building is transacted are covered as part of Blue Ocean’s Energy Benchmarking services.

Blue Ocean turns your annual Energy Policy obligation into an opportunity to better manage your energy costs…ultimately SAVING money.

Call us today to learn more about our energy compliance services at 512-600-7060 or email us at info@blueoceanenergy.net.

Blue Ocean is Austin’s leading provider of Energy Compliance Services.

Year after year, we worked with over 300 commercial buildings representing more than 15,000,000 square feet of floor space.

Typical Blue Ocean clients participate in the annual benchmarking compliance obligation for the benefits that Blue Ocean’s audit provides, not just out of fear of non-compliance.

Clients include: Commercial Office Buildings, Retail Shopping Centers, Medical Centers, Automobile Dealerships, Churches, Country Clubs, Restaurants, Hotels, Schools, Light Industrial, just to name a few.

Large Commercial Office Building

During Blue Ocean’s Audit services, a peak demand billing error was discovered. On behalf of Blue Ocean’s client, we contacted the utility and successfully obtained a refund of $12,000.
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Retail Shopping Center

While providing Blue Ocean’s Audit service, we discovered that a Texas Gas Service meter was being invoiced to the wrong tenant. Blue Ocean got the error corrected and our client received the refund they were due.

Country Club

During Blue Ocean’s Audit service, we discovered that the country club was on the wrong utility rate for a number of its electric meters. This issue was corrected and our client received a $10,000 refund.

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Office Building

The owner of this building was so surprised when their energy rating indicated the building was in the bottom 20% of peer buildings. Blue Ocean was retained for a Comprehensive Energy Audit and the primary source of the low rating was discovered to be simultaneous heating and cooling. Subsequently, the building’s energy rating improved 200%.

City of Austin’s ECAD Ordinance

In 2008, the Austin City Council passed the Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure (ECAD) Ordinance.

All commercial buildings 10,000 square feet and above are required to report their annual ECAD rating to the City of Austin/Austin Energy by May 31st of each year. The ECAD Ordinance requires that ALL ENERGY SOURCES in a building are accounted for when calculating the rating. This includes all electricity consumption, natural gas consumption, solar energy, chilled water, propane usage, etc. The consequence for non-compliance may include a penalty of up to $2,000, and in addition, any commercial facility not in compliance with the ordinance will not be eligible for any Austin Energy rebates/incentive programs.

The ordinance also requires that a seller of a commercial property share the ECAD rating with a prospective buyer before closing.

The ECAD rating indicates a building’s Energy Use Intensity (EUI). The higher the ECAD rating, the lower the energy cost compared to peer competition. One of the goals of the ECAD Ordinance is to raise the profile of energy efficiency for buyers and sellers of commercial properties. By requiring annual energy audits, the City believes that energy efficiency will become an increasingly important factor for buyers and tenants.

Get In Touch

2313 Lake Austin Blvd #108, Austin, TX, 78703
+1 512 600 7060
awp@blueoceanenergy.net