City of Madison Building Energy Savings Program Year 2

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Building Energy Savings Program Year 2: What Downtown Property Owners and Tenants Need to Know

The City of Madison has officially launched the second year of the Building Energy Savings Program (BESP)—a key initiative aimed at reducing energy waste, cutting utility costs, and helping Madison meet its climate goals. Originally adopted by the Common Council in 2023, BESP requires non-residential commercial buildings to benchmark their energy use annually and complete building “tune-ups” every four years.

What’s new this year?

Owners of commercial buildings over 50,000 square feet must now comply with the benchmarking requirement by June 30, 2025. If your building is on the 2025 Covered Buildings List, you’ll need to submit energy data through the City’s online Building Owner Portal. Check out the City’s webpage which offers step-by-step instructions and help desk support.

What are building tune-ups?

Think of them like a wellness checkup for your building systems—tune-ups evaluate and adjust lighting, HVAC, and other energy systems to make sure they’re working efficiently. These tune-ups can significantly reduce energy waste and operating costs, and they typically pay for themselves in 2-3 years. The City recently extended the deadlines for tune-ups to give building owners more flexibility. Now:

  • Buildings 100,000 sq ft and larger must complete a tune-up by October 30, 2026
  • Buildings between 50,000 and 99,999 sq ft have until October 30, 2027

There’s also an early bird submission option – if you complete your tune-up or apply for an Alternative Compliance Pathway by October 30, 2025, you will be able to meet the requirement early and will not be required to tune-up again until 2030.

Why it matters for Downtown:

Downtown Madison is home to many large commercial buildings, which collectively contribute to the city’s climate emissions. In fact, commercial buildings account for approximately 45% of Madison’s greenhouse gas emissions. Through benchmarking and tune-ups, the City estimates BESP could cut over 91,000 tons of CO₂ annually—equivalent to removing nearly 18,000 cars from the road.

Need help?

The City is hosting virtual training sessions over the next three months to walk building owners, managers, and sustainability teams through the benchmarking and reporting process. These free sessions are a great way to get up to speed and ask questions.

Learn more and check if your building is covered by visiting the City of Madison Building Energy Savings Program webpage.

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