BUYER'S GUIDE
Best Building Performance Standards (BPS) and Emissions Compliance Software
Updated October 2026 · 13 min read
TL;DR
Every law in this guide runs on ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, EPA's free benchmarking tool, so the software question is really about getting utility data in, filing on time and seeing penalties coming. Measurabl covers the most ground: utility data from 3,800+ providers, ordinance filing as a service and Local Law 97 limit projections. Conservice ESG (formerly Goby) tracks the longest list of ordinances and has engineers verify filings. Enertiv is strongest at quantifying fine exposure and planning retrofits. Tango is a strong utility data layer for occupiers, Deepki suits institutional owners that need assurance-grade reporting, and IBM Envizi fits corporate ESG programs. The next big filing dates are May 1 (New York City, DC), May 15 (Boston) and June 1 (Denver, Washington State Tier 1) in 2027.
Building performance standards go further than benchmarking laws. Benchmarking asks owners to report energy use; a performance standard sets a limit on energy use or emissions and charges a penalty or payment when a building misses it. New York, Boston, Washington DC, Denver and Washington State all have one, and most of their filings fall due in spring. Penalties are large enough that owners now plan capital spending around them.
This guide summarizes the five best-known laws, with every date and penalty taken from the city or state's official site, then ranks the software that helps owners comply. It describes what the software does; it is not legal advice, and these laws change often, so check the official pages before relying on any date.
The Laws at a Glance
Checked at official sites in October 2026. Dates in the last column are the next ones due between December 2026 and July 2027.
| Law | Who is covered | Annual filing | Penalty or payment | Next dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYC Local Law 97 | Buildings over 25,000 gross sq ft (and some groups of buildings on one lot or under one condo board over 50,000) [1] | Annual emissions report by May 1, certified by a registered design professional; benchmarking under LL84 also due May 1 [1][4] | $268 per metric ton of CO2e over the limit, per year; $0.50 per sq ft per month for not filing [2] | May 1, 2027 for calendar 2026; limits tighten in 2030 [1][3] |
| Boston BERDO 2.0 | Non-residential buildings of 20,000 sq ft or more; residential with 15 or more units [5] | Energy and water data by May 15 each year, through Portfolio Manager; third-party verification in set years [5] | Alternative compliance payment of $234 per metric ton above the limit; fines up to $1,000 a day for missing emissions standards (larger buildings) [6][8] | May 15, 2027; emissions standards started in 2025 for larger buildings and start in 2030 for smaller ones [7] |
| Washington DC BEPS | Private buildings of 50,000 sq ft or more since 2021; 25,000 sq ft from 2028; benchmarking for buildings over 10,000 sq ft [9][10] | Benchmarking by May 1 through Portfolio Manager (moved from April 1 by D.C. Law 25-307) [10][13] | Maximum alternative compliance payment of $10 per sq ft, capped at $7.5 million per building, reduced with performance [12] | Cycle 1 ends December 31, 2026; end-of-cycle reporting with third-party verified 2026 data due May 3, 2027 [11] |
| Energize Denver | Commercial and multifamily buildings of 5,000 sq ft or more [14] | Large buildings (25,000 sq ft or more) benchmark in Portfolio Manager and report by June 1 each year [15] | $2,000 per benchmarking violation; up to $0.15, $0.23 or $0.35 per kBtu of required reduction missed, depending on the building's path [15] | June 1, 2027 benchmarking; 2027 is an interim performance target year (targets in 2025, 2027 and 2030) [15] |
| Washington State Clean Buildings | Tier 1: over 50,000 sq ft of nonresidential, hotel, motel and dormitory space; Tier 2: 20,001 to 50,000 sq ft and multifamily over 20,000 [16][17] | Tier 1: benchmark in Portfolio Manager, O&M program, energy management plan and an energy performance pathway, reported in the Clean Buildings Portal [16] | Tier 1 up to $5,000 plus $1.50 per sq ft as Commerce assesses it (statute: $5,000 plus $1 per sq ft per year); Tier 2 up to $0.30 per sq ft [16][17][18] | June 1, 2027 for Tier 1 buildings of 90,001 to 220,000 sq ft; Tier 2 due July 1, 2027 [16][17] |
- New York City also publishes an annual grace period for Local Law 97 reports through June 30, after which late reports accrue the monthly penalty from May 1 [3].
- Washington DC changed its rules in 2025: D.C. Law 25-307 moved benchmarking from April 1 to May 1, moved third-party verification from every three years to every six, and delayed the second and third compliance cycles by one year [13]. DOEE also lists December 31, 2026 as the deadline to request a pathway change and April 1, 2027 for delay or exemption requests [11].
- Denver updated its rules on August 27, 2026, after City Council approved ordinance amendments on May 18, 2026 [14]. Smaller buildings follow a separate prescriptive schedule.
- Boston requires third-party verification in a building's first reporting year, in its first emissions compliance year (2026 or 2031) and every five years after that [5].
Where Portfolio Manager Fits
EPA describes ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager as a free online tool that dozens of state and local governments use as the IT backbone of their benchmarking and building performance standards laws [36], and each of the five laws above uses it for benchmarking. It is not always the filing system: New York and DC take reports through their own portals, Boston through its BERDO reporting form, and Washington State through the Clean Buildings Portal. Commercial software adds what Portfolio Manager does not: automated utility data collection, a sync that keeps Portfolio Manager current, a calendar of filings across cities, projections against future limits, and retrofit planning.
What to Look For
- Utility data collection. Most of the work is getting a year of whole-building energy data, including tenant-paid meters. Look for direct utility integrations, bill-pay feeds and a way to fill gaps.
- Portfolio Manager sync. Two-way and automated, so scores and property data stay current.
- Law coverage. Ask which ordinances the tool tracks and which it models; a list of laws on a web page is not the same as penalty projections for each.
- Limit and penalty projections. Emissions against each future limit, and the penalty or payment if you do nothing.
- Filing support. Whether the vendor files for you, and whether it can provide or coordinate the required professional certification or third-party verification.
- Retrofit planning. Linking projected penalties to capital plans is where the savings are.
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Best for | Utility data | Portfolio Manager | BPS projections | Published pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measurabl | Utility data, filing and LL97 projections | 3,800+ providers | Yes (Comply Pro) | LL97 limit projections | Free tier; paid by quote |
| Conservice ESG | Many ordinances, verified filings | Automated utility capture | Fully automated | Not described | Quote |
| Enertiv | Fine exposure and retrofit planning | Utility portals, tenant portals, shadow meters | Two-way sync | Fine exposure by market | Quote; free diagnostic |
| Tango Energy & Sustainability | Occupiers with many sites | Web capture, bill-pay feeds, OCR | Auto-sync | Not described | Quote |
| Deepki | Assurance-grade reporting | Automated connectors | Not described | North American BPS exposure | Quote |
| IBM Envizi | Corporate ESG programs | Bills and interval meters | Yes (web services) | Not described | Quote by data volume |
The 6 Best BPS and Emissions Compliance Tools
1. Measurabl
Best for: Owners and operators that want utility data, ordinance filings and LL97 limit projections in one platform
Measurabl is one of the most widely used sustainability data platforms in commercial real estate. Measurabl Connect automates utility data collection from more than 3,800 utility providers, and Data Manager flags outliers and gaps and can lock meter data once it has been audited or assured [19]. For regulation it offers three pieces: Comply, which collects utility data for benchmarking and, on Comply Pro, integrates with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager [20]; an Ordinance Filing service that manages benchmarking filings on your behalf [21]; and Compliance Monitoring for New York City, which identifies buildings subject to Local Law 97, projects their future carbon performance and estimates the likelihood of exceeding their limits [22].
Navigate adds reporting to GRESB and other frameworks, dashboards and decarbonization planning, and a free tier lets smaller owners start without a contract. The caveats: LL97 is the only performance standard Measurabl names on its compliance pages, the Portfolio Manager integration is described on the Comply Pro product, and paid pricing is by quote. Ask which laws its projections model for your markets.
What's good
- Utility data from 3,800+ providers
- Ordinance filing handled for you
- Projects LL97 limit exceedance per building
- Free tier available
What's not
- Paid pricing not published
- LL97 is the only performance standard named
- Several overlapping products to choose between
Pricing: Free tier; paid plans by quote.
2. Conservice ESG (formerly Goby)
Best for: Portfolios with buildings under many benchmarking and BPS ordinances that want filings verified
Conservice ESG is the former Goby platform, acquired by Conservice, the utility management company, in 2021. It captures utility bill data automatically through integrations with utility providers [23], fully automates the connection to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, tracks required benchmarking ordinances and compliance submissions, and has in-house engineers who stamp and verify applications where a law requires it [24].
Its building performance standards pages list the laws in this guide and more, including NYC Local Law 97, Boston BERDO 2.0, DC BEPS, Energize Denver and Washington State Clean Buildings [25], which makes it a good fit for a national portfolio. What it does not describe publicly is emissions forecasting or penalty modeling against those limits, so if you need to know which buildings will miss a 2030 target, ask to see that before you buy. Pricing is by quote.
What's good
- Automated utility capture and Portfolio Manager integration
- Widest list of ordinances among the tools here
- Engineers verify and stamp submissions
- Utility management expertise behind it
What's not
- No emissions forecasting or penalty modeling described
- Pricing not published
- Older references still use the Goby name
Pricing: Quote on request.
3. Enertiv
Best for: Owners that want to see fine exposure and plan the retrofits to avoid it
Enertiv connects to utility portals to ingest bills automatically, fills gaps with tenant portals, shadow metering and a meter-read app, and keeps a two-way sync with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. It tracks local benchmarking ordinances and building performance standard thresholds across major markets and quantifies the dollar value of fine exposure, with exports to GRESB, SFDR, CSRD and TCFD [26].
The planning side is its strength: equipment surveys feed CRREM-aligned decarbonization pathways with capital and operating cost recommendations and electrification comparisons [27], and a free Portfolio Diagnostic estimates regulatory fine exposure from your Portfolio Manager data [28]. Its product pages name few specific laws (Local Law 97 appears in its FAQ), so confirm which ordinances it models for your buildings. Pricing is by quote.
What's good
- Two-way Portfolio Manager sync
- Quantifies BPS fine exposure
- Retrofit and electrification planning from equipment surveys
- Free Portfolio Diagnostic
What's not
- Pricing not published
- Few laws named on product pages
- Shadow metering means hardware on site
Pricing: Quote on request; Portfolio Diagnostic free.
4. Tango Energy & Sustainability
Best for: Corporate and retail occupiers with many sites and messy utility bills
Tango acquired WatchWire in 2023 and sells it as Tango Energy & Sustainability [29]. Its strength is getting utility data in: it captures bills from utility websites using your logins, ingests feeds from bill-pay providers such as Engie Impact, Capturis, Cass, AvidXchange and Conservice, reads PDF bills with OCR, and auto-syncs utility data with ENERGY STAR [30]. It tracks Scope 1 to 3 emissions with built-in quality checks and exports for CDP, GRESB and ENERGY STAR [31].
Tango's own product pages do not name building performance standard laws or describe forecasting against their limits, so treat it as the data and reporting layer for BPS compliance rather than a compliance planner. It fits best for occupiers already using Tango for leases or facilities. Pricing is by quote.
What's good
- Three ways to collect utility bills, including bill-pay feeds
- ENERGY STAR auto-sync
- CDP, GRESB and ENERGY STAR exports
- Same platform as Tango lease and facilities tools
What's not
- No BPS laws or limit forecasting described
- Built for corporate and retail occupiers
- Pricing not published
Pricing: Quote on request.
5. Deepki
Best for: Institutional owners with European and North American portfolios that need assurance-grade reporting
Deepki is a European real estate ESG platform that has expanded into North America. It aggregates utility data through automated connectors, monitors data completeness year round, and produces audit-ready reports for GRESB, CSRD, SFDR, EU Taxonomy and other frameworks, with snapshots that freeze figures at submission and audit packs that document every control. It also tracks exposure and financial risk from BPS and local ordinances across North America, and surfaces ENERGY STAR scores alongside EPC and NABERS ratings [32].
Assurance is the reason to choose it: Deepki holds ISO 27001, ISAE 3000 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type II. For a US-only owner, though, its pages name no specific US law and no Portfolio Manager integration, so confirm how it handles benchmarking filings in your cities. Pricing is not published.
What's good
- Audit packs, data snapshots and ISAE 3000 Type 2
- EU frameworks and North American BPS exposure in one platform
- Automated utility connectors
- CRREM-based CapEx planning
What's not
- Europe-first; no US laws named
- No Portfolio Manager integration described
- Pricing not published
Pricing: Quote on request.
6. IBM Envizi
Best for: Large enterprises that need building data inside a corporate ESG reporting system
IBM Envizi is an enterprise ESG data suite, acquired by IBM in 2022. For buildings it consolidates utility bills and interval meter data, calculates and tracks building ratings and benchmarks, and uploads data to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager through EPA's web services to return scores [33][34]. It sends performance data to GRESB as a data partner and logs every change with audit trails.
Envizi makes sense when a real estate portfolio sits inside a wider corporate emissions program. It does not name building performance standard laws, and pricing scales with data volume in Essentials, Standard and Premium bundles quoted by IBM [35].
What's good
- Portfolio Manager integration via EPA web services
- GRESB data partner
- Audit trails on every change
- Covers corporate Scope 1 to 3 reporting too
What's not
- No BPS laws named
- Pricing scales with data volume, quoted by IBM
- Sized for large enterprises
Pricing: Quote; Essentials (up to 1,000 accounts), Standard (1,001 to 5,000), Premium (5,001+).
Also Worth Knowing
- Bright Power names more of these laws on its site than any software vendor we checked (Local Laws 84, 87 and 97, BERDO and BEPS) and handles a large volume of New York compliance filings, but it is mainly an energy services firm rather than self-serve software, and it is not listed in this directory.
- Audette focuses on retrofit and capital planning ranked by financial return, and says it helps owners avoid fines; it does not describe filing or Portfolio Manager integration. It is not listed in this directory.
- Archibus can assemble and submit building data to obtain ENERGY STAR scores within its sustainability applications, and Planon has an energy and sustainability module with utility bill capture and emissions calculations; both suit organizations already running those workplace platforms.
- Noda and Facilio are building operations platforms that can lower energy use, which helps meet limits, but neither presents itself as a compliance reporting tool.
- With only a few buildings, many owners enter data in Portfolio Manager themselves and hire a local engineer for the certification or verification each law requires.
How to Choose
- Choose Measurabl if you want utility data, filings and New York limit projections from one vendor, or want to start on a free tier.
- Choose Conservice ESG if your buildings fall under many different ordinances and you want filings tracked and verified by engineers.
- Choose Enertiv if the priority is seeing your fine exposure and building the retrofit plan to avoid it.
- Choose Tango if you are an occupier with many sites and the hard part is collecting utility bills.
- Choose Deepki if you report to European frameworks too and need assurance-grade audit trails.
- Choose IBM Envizi if buildings are one part of a corporate emissions program on IBM's platform.
For workplace and facilities platforms with sustainability modules, see the Workplace & Space Management buyer's guide. Retrofits to meet these limits often run through capital plans and tenant recoveries; see the CAM reconciliation software guide.
How We Researched This Guide
Every deadline, threshold and penalty comes from the official city or state pages listed under Sources (nyc.gov, boston.gov, DOEE's benchmarking and BEPS knowledgebase and the DC Code, denvergov.org, commerce.wa.gov and the Revised Code of Washington), read in October 2026; we did not use consultant or vendor summaries for them. Product facts come from each vendor's own website, checked in October 2026. Measurabl, Deepki and IBM Envizi were added to the directory for this guide; the other tools were already listed. We did not run these products ourselves, and none publishes prices beyond Measurabl's free tier, so we say so rather than estimate. Law coverage is what each vendor states on its site, not a test of its calculations. This guide describes software, not legal obligations for any particular building. Rankings reflect fit for owners complying with building performance standards, and no vendor paid for placement.
Sources
- Local Law 97: greenhouse gas emissions reductions, NYC Department of Buildings
- Greenhouse gas emissions reductions: violations and penalties, NYC Department of Buildings
- Article 320 Info Guide (PDF, revised June 30, 2025), NYC Department of Buildings
- Benchmarking (Local Law 84), NYC Department of Buildings
- Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure (BERDO), City of Boston (last updated October 16, 2026)
- "My building is above its emissions limit. What can I do now?", City of Boston (last updated September 2, 2026)
- BERDO emissions compliance quick guide (PDF), City of Boston
- BERDO Regulations, clean version of adopted regulations (PDF, May 2026), City of Boston
- D.C. Code § 8-1772.21, Building Energy Performance Standard Program, Council of the District of Columbia
- Benchmarking, DC Department of Energy and Environment knowledgebase
- BEPS upcoming deadlines and BEPS compliance cycles, DC Department of Energy and Environment knowledgebase
- BEPS Guidebook, Chapter 7: enforcement and alternative compliance payments, DC Department of Energy and Environment
- D.C. Law 25-307, Building Energy Performance Standards Amendment Act of 2024, Council of the District of Columbia
- Energize Denver updated rules (September 2, 2026) and Energize Denver program page, City and County of Denver
- Energize Denver Rules and Regulations (PDF, effective August 27, 2026), City and County of Denver
- Clean Buildings Performance Standard: Tier 1 compliance, Washington State Department of Commerce
- Clean Buildings Performance Standard: Tier 2 compliance, Washington State Department of Commerce
- RCW 19.27A.210, Washington State Legislature
- Measurabl Navigate
- Measurabl Comply
- Measurabl Ordinance Filing
- Measurabl: Local Law 97 compliance monitoring
- Conservice ESG: utility data tracking
- Conservice ESG: ESG software
- Conservice ESG: building performance standards
- Enertiv: energy and ESG
- Enertiv: carbon planning
- Enertiv: Portfolio Diagnostic
- "Tango acquires WatchWire", Tango, August 9, 2023
- Tango: utility invoice data acquisition
- Tango Energy & Sustainability
- Deepki: reporting and compliance
- IBM Envizi
- IBM Envizi documentation: ENERGY STAR integration
- IBM Envizi pricing
- ENERGY STAR for policymakers, US Environmental Protection Agency
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a building performance standard?
A law that sets a limit on a building's energy use or greenhouse gas emissions and charges a penalty or payment when the building exceeds it. Benchmarking laws only require reporting; performance standards such as NYC Local Law 97, Boston BERDO 2.0, DC BEPS, Energize Denver and Washington State's Clean Buildings Performance Standard add targets.
When are Local Law 97 reports due?
NYC's Department of Buildings says covered buildings file an annual emissions report by May 1, certified by a registered design professional, so the report for calendar 2026 is due May 1, 2027. DOB's guide describes a grace period through June 30, after which a penalty of $0.50 per square foot accrues for each month since May 1.
What is the penalty under Local Law 97?
DOB lists a penalty of $268 per metric ton of CO2e above the building's emissions limit, per year, and $0.50 per square foot per month for failing to file the report, for buildings under Article 320.
Is ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager enough to comply?
Portfolio Manager is free and each of these laws uses it for benchmarking, but filing often happens in a city or state portal, some laws require professional certification or third-party verification, and Portfolio Manager does not project penalties against future limits. Software such as Measurabl, Conservice ESG or Enertiv automates the data collection, filings and projections.
How much does BPS compliance software cost?
None of the vendors in this guide publishes paid pricing. Measurabl has a free tier, Enertiv offers a free Portfolio Diagnostic, and IBM Envizi prices by data volume. Compare quotes against the penalties: in New York, for example, the listed rate is $268 for each metric ton over the limit.
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