Resources for West Hollywood Building Owners & Managers

Benchmark Your Building 

Benchmarking a building means measuring the building’s energy consumption (and sometimes water consumption and waste generation) in order to understand performance and track changes over time.

To comply with West Hollywood’s EBPS in 2026, buildings are required to:

1. Submit energy use data using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (ESPM) into the West Hollywood Building Performance Platform (BenchmarkingWeHo.org) and

2. Attain 3rd party verification of this reporting from a qualified professional.

The deadline is September 15, 2026, but an extension to November 15 is available.

Note that condominiums larger than 20,000 square feet are required to submit annual benchmarking reports, even though they are exempt from performance targets.

Benchmarking: What to Expect

If you are new to benchmarking, there is a detailed guide available in the City of West Hollywood’s West Hollywood Building Performance Program FAQ. Here’s a simplified overview of the key steps:

1. Claim your building at BenchmarkingWeHo. This is the official place where you will submit benchmarking and verification reports, request extensions, and more. The platform offers robust user guides and support. Start by creating an account, and then use the “Claim Buildings” option under Quick Actions to find your building using a building ID, parcel ID, or address.

2. Add building info to ENERGY STAR. The primary tool that building owners use to benchmark building performance is ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (ESPM). ESPM is a free tool that supports tracking of energy, water, and waste. You simply enter information about your property and its use (such as occupancy rate), and utility data, and ESPM will calculate a range of metrics, such as energy use intensity.

3. Request Whole Building Energy Data from SoCal Edison and SoCalGas. This data can be entered manually using utility bills as a reference, but many utilities offer an easier way to import whole-building data into ESPM. Here are the request links for West Hollywood’s utilities: SoCal Edison, and SoCalGas.

4. Have a Recognized Data Verifier review and sign off on your report. This review will be done through your ESPM account.

5. Submit your report by connecting ESPM to BenchmarkingWeHo. Follow the steps within the BenchmarkingWeHo.org platform to submit your benchmarking and verification.

Finding a Qualified Professional for 3rd Party Verification

A directory of qualified third-party verification professionals can be found here on the Hub.

You can also search for professionals in ENERGY STAR's Licensed Professionals directory. Make sure to check that they have up-to-date credentials using the relevant link below (only one of these licenses/certifications is necessary).

• California PE License Lookup

• California Architect License Lookup

• AEE Certified Professionals Directory

• ASHRAE Certified Professional Directory

• EMA Member Locator 

Requesting a Reporting Extension

You can request a 60-day extension (to November 15) from BenchmarkingWeHo.org, West Hollywood's official benchmarking platform. How to do this:

1. If you haven't already done so, start by creating an account

2. Claim your building using the “Claim Buildings” option in the left panel. Search for your building by address or Building ID. Select ‘Claim’ in the right column.

3. Your building will now appear on the “My Buildings” page. On the “My Buildings” page, select  "Deadline Extension Request" under the Actions column.

4. An extension request form will pop up, where you will be asked to describe your request. This year, you may apply for an extension until November 15; they are being approved liberally. 

5. Once submitted, the City of West Hollywood will review your extension request and will notify you regarding approval status via email. 

A short video walking through this process is here.