In This Issue:

Don't Miss Out: BBC 2019 Data Drive
Key Announcements
Spotlight on Partner Successes

Don't Miss Out: 2019 BBC Data Drive - March 1 Deadline

The 2019 Better Buildings Challenge (BBC) Data Drive is in full swing! Publishing data displays is how BBC partners demonstrate energy reduction progress against their baseline consumption. Account Managers are working with partners to track down missing data points, coordinate with third-party providers, and analyze whole-building data in Portfolio Manager. If you haven't connected with your Account Manager yet, do so today to meet the March 1st reporting deadline!

Confused about what we're asking for in the data drive?

The BBC helps partners identify and quantify utility savings opportunities for energy (and water) consumption by reporting portfolio-wide energy consumption on an annual basis. The multifamily sector faces a unique challenge in obtaining tenant-paid utility data, but the goal of the Account Management team remains to help you collect whole-building data that reflects the total energy consumption in your buildings, regardless of who pays the bills. Reporting owner-paid data is a good starting point for benchmarking your buildings, but only whole-building data that also includes resident energy consumption data will deliver complete information about a building's energy performance.

The BBC has established minimum reporting thresholds for the multifamily sector that acknowledge the unique challenge of obtaining tenant-paid data, but require multifamily partners to report at least a portion of their whole-building data before qualifying for a data display.

• For a partial data display, you will need to report at least 80% owner-paid utility data for your portfolio and more than 30% whole-building data (by sq. ft.)
• For a full data display, you will need to report 80% or more owner-paid utility data for your portfolio and more than 80% whole-building data (by sq. ft.)
• To become a BBC Goal Achiever, you will need to demonstrate at least 20% energy savings with over 95% whole-building data for your portfolio (by sq. ft.)

Publishing data displays is how BBC partners demonstrate energy reduction progress against their baseline consumption. At the end of last year's data drive, 66 partners reported enough whole-building data for displays. Thanks to your hard work and partnership, we expect to surpass that amount again in the 2019 data drive. Our goal is 100% of all multifamily partners with either partial or full data displays.

Key Announcements

The leading energy efficiency experts of our generation exist in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) national laboratories. These experts take on our most critical issues to produce innovative technologies, products, and techniques that advance residential energy efficiency. DOE is hosting a two-part webinar series on February 14th and February 28th to discuss ongoing projects at its national laboratories. Register today!

• The Partnership for the Bay's Future, a new coalition of private partners, has launched an ambitious effort to build and preserve up to 175,000 households in the next five years in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read more about private sector efforts to increase housing affordability.
   
• What's the relationship between a building's energy efficiency features and its financial performance? DOE is investigating this question through the Better Buildings Alliance's Market Solutions Team – check out the studies and some preliminary findings on the Solution Center.

Spotlight on Partner Successes

Trinity Housing of Greeley, CO began participating in a "Solar Rewards Community" solar garden through Xcel Energy in 2018. This complex of 6,000 solar panels produces 2 MW of electricity and includes Trinity's Island Grove Apartments as one of its income-qualified subscribers. Trinity also installed LEDs in all units and common spaces at Island Grove in 2018.

San Francisco's Commission on the Environment presented Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) with a 2018 Environmental Service Award for outstanding work and for contributing to the environmental well-being of the City and County of San Francisco.