Benchmark Deadlines Have Passed
At this point in time if you still haven’t filed your annual Energy Benchmark report, then you’ve missed the deadline. Many people assume, “oh well, the deadline passed guess I don’t need to file this year.” That isn’t true. Many cities and state Benchmark programs have penalties in place for non-compliance to ensure property owners and managers are filing. Some penalties are as serious as being issued a monetary fine. No matter the severity of your Benchmark programs violations, it is still expected that you file each year that you’re required to.
Filing Late
“Benchmarking is the search for industry Best Practices that Lead to Superior Performance.” – Dr. Robert Camp
You may ask if it’s ever too late to file and the answer is yes. First, the city or state can close the submission link whenever they want, but most Benchmark programs typically wait till the new year. Second, it takes 4-8 weeks on average for utility companies to provide the necessary consumption history needed to file. This timeframe fluctuates depending on how many open data requests the utility companies need to complete. The longer you wait to get started, the longer it will take to finalize your report and file as there will be other owners and managers also trying to get into late compliance. Given these two factors, if you wait until November to start filing, chances are you won’t make the end of the year mark and will therefore be found non-compliant for the year. That is why we highly recommend getting started by October at the latest.
When filing after the deadline, getting started quickly and efficiently is important to ensure you get into compliance as soon as possible. At Vert Energy Group, getting started is as easy as 1, 2, 3 with our platform VertPro.com. Here are a few tips we have when signing up with us for the first time:
• Have your full property list ready. Even if you don’t think a certain property needs to file, there could be a smaller program that it needs to comply with.
• Know your property details. This is what VertPro uses to cross-check your property’s against the 39 existing Benchmark programs nationwide.
• Have a recent copy of your utility bills.
If you have all these items ahead of time, it should take you approximately 30 minutes from start to finish to complete your VertPro account when you have five or fewer properties. Once you’ve completed your VertPro account, we’ll take over and get your report completed and submitted. Should you need further assistance though, or get stuck, you can also contact our support team via email at support@vertpro.com and by phone at 800-585-2690.
Just do it.” - Nike
Annual Deadlines
With 39 existing Benchmark programs across the U.S., it can be hard to remember your specific deadline. It has become even harder to keep track of all the deadlines as cities and states are adjusting the due dates in accordance with how they’ve been impacted by COVID. In fact, that could very well have been the reason why you missed your annual deadline, to begin with. At the beginning of each year, our Benchmark Department gets together to cross-check each program’s deadlines to ensure our clients and us are aware of any changes. In January we released a downloadable Energy Benchmark Deadlines Calendar to help property managers and owners easily locate their compliance due dates. If you haven’t yet downloaded our calendar, you can get it here.‘Cause Baby, You’re a Firework
4th of July aka Independence Day – a day full of food, parades, fun activities and events, and fireworks. Food, drinks, parades, parties are all standard celebration festivities, but how did fireworks become a 4th of July staple for Americans?
According to History.com, we can attribute this tradition back to three sources: John Adams, Boston, and Philadelphia. On July 2, 1776, our founding fathers voted on our independence, and the very next day – on July 3, 1776 – John Adams writes to his wife, Abigal Adams. Per his letter, Adams pens that he “believe(s) it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations… It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade… Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
A year later, in 1777, in John Adams hometown of Boston, Colonel Thomas Crafts of the Son of Liberty set off a display of fireworks in the Boston Common to commemorate the one year anniversary of America’s independence. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Evening Post reported that “there was a grand exhibition of fireworks (which began and concluded with thirteen rockets) on the Commons and the city was beautifully illuminated.” With the end of the War of 1812, America saw a rise in firework displays as the concerns for public safety over the use of cannons and gunfire also rose thus making fireworks an Independence Day staple.
Fun Fact: History.com states that John Adams would decline invitations to make appearances at 4th of July events held on the day of as he believed July 2nd to be the correct date of America’s independence.
Danielle’s Corner
Summer Break… California has officially reopened* and just in time for summer! If you’re planning to make a trip out to sunny California – specifically LA – I highly recommend checking out the official site for Discover Los Angeles. It’ll show you cool free, paid, and virtual events going on this summer. Whether you’re into art, music, film, or looking for a fun activity, there’s something for everyone! Here are some fun events to give you an idea: The last syllable: a virtual event that takes you through a Macbeth inspired adventure and is only open during July The DiscOasis: an outdoor music experience filled with live music, dancing, art, food and drinks, and roller skating opens Friday, July 16th, and goes till Labor Day weekend Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience: an immersive art experience of Van Gogh’s work opens Tuesday, July 20th, and goes till Monday, September 6th. The Around the World Virtual Scavenger Hunt: exactly that – a virtual scavenger hunt held on Saturday, July 17th and July 31st. Bonus Event at the beginning of August: The Rose Bowl Flea Market is held on the second Sunday of every month and has over 2,500 vendors to shop from. July’s marked already passed, but the next one will be August 8th so mark your calendars if you plan to go. Maybe you’ll see me there! Let us know your fun summer plans by tagging us on Instagram and Facebook at @vertenergygroup. We love to see all the fun our clients get into!*At the time of drafting these things were reopened. Please consult the corresponding websites for covid updates to get the latest information.
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