Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on SmartGridNews.com. Follow the link to view the article in its entirety.

The city of Seattle, Washington, has cranked up its campaign for energy efficiency in commercial buildings by launching the second phase of its Building Energy Benchmarking and Reporting program. The owners of commercial non-residential buildings over 10,000 square feet and multifamily buildings with five or more units have until April 1, 2012 to meet the compliance deadline. Earlier, the owners of non-residential buildings 50,000 square feet or larger were required to do the same.  

Owners are required by ordinance to perform annual energy performance audits through EPA's Energy Star Portfolio Manager and provide that information to current or prospective tenants, buyers or lenders involved in a real estate transaction, lease or application for financing or refinancing the building.

 SmartGridNews.com is the sector's oldest and largest specialty site. Visit for up-to-the-minute analysis of smart grid trends, smart grid technology and smart grid companies. Sign up for our free email newsletter or follow SGN on Twitter (News - Alert).