Large Rhode Island buildings would report yearly energy use

Owners would report a covered property's yearly energy use and other required building information to the state. This would cover residential and nonresidential buildings and campuses with at least 25,000 gross square feet, as identified in municipal tax assessor records. A campus means two or more buildings sharing utility services and mainly used for health care, research, or higher education. Owners could seek an exemption for a year if the property was unoccupied all year, demolition work began during the year after a permit was issued, or the property received no energy service all year. The state energy office would decide whether to grant the request. Owners could authorize a utility or another party to submit data for them, but they would still be responsible for reporting. Buildings with at least 50,000 square feet would report by May 15, 2028, and each May 15 after that. Buildings from 25,000 to 49,999 square feet would start by May 15, 2030, and report each May 15 after that. A new building without 12 months of data by its first deadline would start by May 15 after its first full calendar year of occupancy.

The state energy office would publish building energy information and send lawmakers a yearly program report. The reports would cover properties included in the building energy program. The report would include each covered property's information, progress in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions compared with baseline data, and compliance status for required assessments or actions. The first report would be due by December 31, 2027, with another due by December 31 each year after that.

The state energy office could create participation incentives and adopt rules that include warnings and fines. These provisions would apply to owners covered by the building energy reporting program. Possible incentives include requiring participation before an owner applies for certain state or infrastructure bank grants for building benchmarking or decarbonization. The office could also offer public recognition. The office could impose warnings and fines through rules. Fines could not be imposed before May 15, 2031. Fines could not be imposed before May 15, 2031.