Energy Performance Reporting

First require tracking data.  All information is collected by the government.  As time goes on, the circle is widened and more entities are included - more information collected.  It doesn't make sense that Portland would set up a tracking program just for the trackees to know what they already know - how much energy they use.  It sounds like the tracker is the one wanting the information - but why?   Why would anyone NOT think that this would eventually be applied to private homes?

Does this new regulation mean the government will be controlling our energy use in new and more oppressive ways?  How much energy do you use?

Tracking energy use may be required

Portland Tribune, December 25, 2014  By Jules Rogers

Portland’s commercial buildings today have no requirements to track their energy performance, but are responsible for almost 25 percent of Portland’s carbon emissions.

The largest carbon pollution source in the city, commercial building tenants spend more than $335 million on energy annually.
I thought the largest carbon pollution source was automobiles!?

Last Thursday, the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability officially launched a new energy performance reporting proposal for commercial buildings, hoping to create awareness and transparency in energy-efficiency improvements reducing carbon emissions.    
Transparency?  These are private buildings - where is there a requirement or need for "transparency?"  This program sounds creepy.  How can it even be legal to monitor legal transactions for electricity or natural gas between private entities?  

“We want to move forward with sustainability; we want to do the right thing for Portland,” says Alisa Kane, Green Building and Development Manager with BPS. “We hope to shine a light on high performers.”
We, we, we.  We want to, want to, hope to... do the right thing.  (And we're the ones who decide what the right thing is!)

Imitating successful similar policies in the states of California and Washington and cities including Boston and Chicago, the proposed energy performance report will require buildings to complete a 
three-step process.
What is the measure for a successful program?  Who pays for additional administrative costs of new  government regulation?   What is the purpose of this thing?  

First, building owners will track their energy performances using Energy Star Portfolio Manager, the industry standard with free online software. Energy Star will help them calculate their official energy use per square foot and their carbon emissions, scoring them. Lastly, they’ll report the score to the city to be uploaded to a public database annually.
The City of Portland will be keeping score, and then publicizing the score. 

"This tool will allow participation in this to be something that benefits the rest of our society,” says Renee Loveland, a sustainability manager at Gerding Edlen real estate, whose company already has an Energy Star score of 99. “This is a great step in the right Direction."
Anything for the Greater Good.  

More information from the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services website:

TO REDUCE ENERGY COSTS AND CARBON EMISSIONS 
the City of Portland proposes a new policy that would require commercial buildings over 20,000 square feet to incorporate the following practices: 

1. 1  Track energy performance using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
   
2. 2  Calculate an Energy Use Intensity (energy use per square foot), ENERGY STAR score, and carbon emissions.
   
3. 3  Report this information to the City of Portland on an annual basis. 
   

And this is going to reduce costs and carbon emissions how?