Building Energy and Water Scoring (BEWS)

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Reporting Deadline: June 1

(reporting 2024 data)

2025 Reporting Link

What Is BEWS?

Fort Collins requires most commercial and multifamily buildings 5,000 square feet or larger to report on energy use each year. This helps everyone — building owners, tenants and operators — understand performance, reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Based on Chapter 12, Article XI of the Municipal Code.

View performance metrics of buildings around town to inform your next lease or purchasing decision:

View Performance Metrics of Buildings

Why It’s Important

Lower your operating costs & improve your building's net operating income (NOI)
Find and prioritize building upgrades
Showcase your building’s efficiency
Improve tenant retention and occupancy rates

Did you know? In Fort Collins, benchmarking saved as much energy as 1,600 homes use and over $1 million in direct utility savings in 2023 alone.

Am I Required to Comply?

You must comply if:

Your building is commercial or multifamily, and
It’s 5,000 square feet or larger

Some buildings may also be regulated by state benchmarking if they exceed 50,000 square feet

These building types are exempt from requirements:

Multifamily buildings under 3 stories above grade
Row homes
Townhomes
Industrial
Agricultural facilities

You may qualify for a waiver or exemption if your building meets certain criteria. See the "Annual Waivers" section for details.

Guide to Compliance

Step-by-Step: How to Report Your Building (4 Steps)

Download the BEWS How-to Guide (PDF)

Step 1: Set up your ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

Create or log in to your account at energystar.gov/benchmark
Identify your building’s main use (e.g. office, multifamily, school)
Use the worksheet to gather building details: energy, water, and square footage

Step 2: Request your energy data

Go to the Fort Collins Utilities data request portal
Request whole-building electricity data for the reporting year

Step 3: Add data from other utilities

Include any natural gas usage (from providers like Xcel Energy)
You may need to contact your gas provider directly

To obtain your natural gas data, follow the instructions in the Xcel How-To Guide:

Xcel How-To Guide

Step 4: Submit your report by June 1

Use your City-issued Building ID
Ensure data covers Jan 1–Dec 31 of the reporting year
Double-check for errors before submitting in Portfolio Manager

Need help?

Reach out to our Help Center at buildingscoring@f ortcollins.gov or by calling 970-416-2733

Annual Waivers

You may request a waiver if your building meets any of these:

It’s a public building (as defined in the ordinance)
It was less than 60% occupied on average during the reporting year
It’s used primarily for industrial or agricultural purposes
It contains sensitive or confidential business data
It has unique circumstances, approved by the City Manager’s Office

Submit your request via the Waiver Request Form

Penalties for Not Complying

Avoid penalties—submit your annual report on time.

Missing the June 1 deadline may result in a $3,000 fine.

Here’s how the process generally works:

You may receive an initial warning and/or notices if the deadline is missed
Unresolved cases may result in citations or penalties

Need help? The City offers free technical assistance—reach out early to stay on track! Email us at buildingscoring@f ortcollins.gov

Reporting Tools and Quick Links

Find Your Building ID: Required for reporting.

Find your building ID

Benchmarking Map: See how other buildings are performing.

Access the Benchmarking Map

Utility Data Portal: Request data directly for Portfolio Manager.

Access the Utility Data Portal

How to Request Your Energy Data

To complete your BEWS report, you’ll need data from your utility providers.

Step 1: Find your utility providers

Check who supplies your building’s:

Electricity
Natural gas

Step 2: Request Your Data

For Fort Collins Utilities customers:

Use the Utility Data Portal to request your data

For Xcel Energy customers:

View the Xcel Energy Benchmarking Guide

For other gas providers:

Contact your vendor directly and upload your usage data to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

Step 3: Check Your Data for Errors

After uploading all data to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager:

Run the Data Quality Checker Tool
Water is not required for reporting: please disregard error messages regarding missing and incomplete water and waste data

Help Center

Need Help with Compliance? We're Here for You

Navigating the path to compliance can be challenging — but you don’t have to do it alone. Our team is here to support you every step of the way.

Email us: BuildingScoring@f ortcollins.gov
Call us: 970-416-2733

Trainings and Resources

BEWS Overview and Annual Trainings

May 8, 2025 — Benchmarking Program Training 2025

Audience: All reporters
What you'll learn:

What the BEWS program is and why it matters
How to submit your data
Tips for improving your score over time

Watch the 2025 Training Video

May 10, 2023 — Benchmarking 101 for New Reporters

Audience: First-time reporters
What you'll learn:

How to benchmark a building using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
How to submit your annual report to the City
How to stay in compliance

Watch Benchmarking 101

April 19 & May 4, 2022 — Benchmarking 101 (Repeat Session)

Same content as above, recorded in 2022.
Watch Benchmarking 101 (2022)

April 20, 2022 — Benchmarking 102: Advanced Troubleshooting

Audience: Returning users
What you'll learn:

How to fix common issues during the reporting process
How to complete specific steps you’re stuck on

Watch Benchmarking 102

Step-by-Step Video Series: How to Benchmark a Building

Released: April 17, 2023
Format: Short video series
Audience: First-time or DIY reporters

Each part covers one specific step in the benchmarking process:

Great for watching one step at a time or reviewing a single task.

Special Topics & Earlier Trainings

Oct 15, 2019 — Technical Training for Multifamily Properties

What you'll learn:

How to set up Portfolio Manager for multifamily buildings
How to track energy and water performance

Watch Multifamily Training

Oct 9, 2019 — Tenant Engagement for Energy Efficiency