---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 17063"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "17063"
heading: "Energy information for commercial buildings"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/17063"
units:
  - "Chapter 152 — Energy Independence and Security"
  - "Subchapter III — Energy Savings in Buildings and Industry"
---

# §17063. Energy information for commercial buildings

- (a) **Omitted—**
- (b) **Study—**
  - (1) **In general—** Not later than 2 years after April 30, 2015, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) of Energy, in collaboration with the [Administrator](/usc/42/4005.md?p=1) of the Environmental Protection [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), shall complete a study—
    - (A) on the impact of—
      - (i) [State](/usc/42/17151.md?p=6) and local performance benchmarking and disclosure policies, and any associated building efficiency policies, for commercial and multifamily buildings; and
      - (ii) [programs](/usc/42/17151.md?p=5) and systems in which utilities provide aggregated information regarding whole building energy consumption and usage information to [owners](/usc/42/13641.md?p=4) of multitenant commercial, residential, and mixed-use buildings;
    - (B) that identifies best practice policy approaches studied under [subparagraph (A)](#b-1-A) that have resulted in the greatest improvements in building energy efficiency; and
    - (C) that considers—
      - (i) compliance rates and the benefits and costs of the policies and [programs](/usc/42/17151.md?p=5) on building [owners](/usc/42/13641.md?p=4), utilities, tenants, and other parties;
      - (ii) utility [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19), [programs](/usc/42/17151.md?p=5), and systems that provide aggregated energy consumption information to multitenant building [owners](/usc/42/13641.md?p=4), and the impact of public utility commissions and [State](/usc/42/17151.md?p=6) privacy laws on those [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19), [programs](/usc/42/17151.md?p=5), and systems;
      - (iii) exceptions to compliance in existing laws where building [owners](/usc/42/13641.md?p=4) are not able to gather or access whole building energy information from tenants or utilities;
      - (iv) the [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) of buildings with—
        - (I) multiple uses;
        - (II) uses for which baseline information is not available; and
        - (III) uses that require high levels of energy intensities, such as data centers, trading floors, and televisions[^1] studios;
      - (v) implementation [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19), including disclosure methods and phase-in of compliance;
      - (vi) the safety and security of benchmarking tools offered by government [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), and the resiliency of those tools against cyber attacks; and
      - (vii) international experiences with regard to building benchmarking and disclosure laws and data aggregation for multitenant buildings.
  - (2) **Submission to Congress—** At the conclusion of the study, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the results of the study.
- (c) **Creation and maintenance of database—**
  - (1) **In general—** Not later than 18 months after April 30, 2015, and following opportunity for public notice and comment, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) of Energy, in coordination with other relevant [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), shall maintain, and if necessary create, a database for the purpose of storing and making available public energy-related information on commercial and multifamily buildings, including—
    - (A) data provided under Federal, [State](/usc/42/17151.md?p=6), local, and other laws or [programs](/usc/42/17151.md?p=5) regarding building benchmarking and energy information disclosure;
    - (B) information on buildings that have disclosed energy ratings and certifications; and
    - (C) energy-related information on buildings provided voluntarily by the [owners](/usc/42/13641.md?p=4) of the buildings, only in an anonymous form unless the [owner](/usc/42/13641.md?p=4) provides otherwise.
  - (2) **Complementary programs—** The database maintained pursuant to [paragraph (1)](#c-1) shall complement and not duplicate the functions of the Environmental Protection [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1)’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool.
- (d) **Input from stakeholders—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) of Energy shall seek input from stakeholders to maximize the effectiveness of the actions taken under this section.
- (e) **Report—** Not later than 2 years after April 30, 2015, and every 2 years thereafter, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) of Energy shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the progress made in complying with this section.

## Footnotes

[^1]: So in original. Probably should be “television”.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 114–11, title III, § 301, Apr. 30, 2015, 129 Stat. 189.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section is comprised of section 301 of Pub. L. 114–11. Subsec. (a) of section 301 of Pub. L. 114–11 amended section 17091 of this title.

Section was enacted as part of the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015, and not as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which comprises this chapter.