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If you own a building of 20,000 square feet or more anywhere in Massachusetts, the Large Building Energy Reporting law applies: its energy use is reported to the state every year and published. Claim the building with the state, then make sure any energy the utilities do not report is in by June 30. LBER sets no energy target; it asks for accurate, on-time reporting.
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Vert Energy Group is a private company. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the Department of Energy Resources. This page summarizes public law and DOER guidance; the statute, 225 CMR 27.00 and DOER are the authority.
LBER · 225 CMR 27.00
What is Massachusetts' Large Building Energy Reporting law?
An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind (Acts of 2022, chapter 179) created Large Building Energy Reporting (M.G.L. c. 25A § 20), and the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) runs it under 225 CMR 27.00. Utilities report the electricity, gas and steam used by covered buildings of 20,000 square feet or more; owners claim their buildings and report any other energy, such as oil, propane or solar. DOER publishes the results every year. Reporting began in 2025. LBER sets no performance target.
- 20,000 sq ft
- Gross floor area, measured to the outside face of the exterior walls. Every Massachusetts building this size or larger belongs on DOER's Covered Buildings List. M.G.L. c. 25A § 20 · 225 CMR 27.02
- June 30
- Every year: owners report the energy the utilities do not, in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Utilities report electricity, gas and steam by May 30. 225 CMR 27.04 · DOER LBER policy page
- 36,000+
- Entries on DOER's 2026 Covered Buildings List; the first list, published March 31, 2025, had more than 34,000. DOER Covered Buildings List page · LBER white paper, February 2026
- $150 a day
- The most DOER may fine an owner for each day required energy use is still missing, 30 days after a notice. 225 CMR 27.11(3)
- No target
- LBER is reporting and disclosure only. Boston's BERDO and Cambridge's BEUDO set emissions requirements for some of the buildings they cover in those cities. M.G.L. c. 25A § 20 · DOER LBER white paper
Coverage
Am I covered?
LBER covers every building in Massachusetts with 20,000 square feet or more of gross floor area, measured to the outside face of the exterior walls. DOER publishes a Covered Buildings List each year and gives each building a Unique Building Identifier (UBID). M.G.L. c. 25A § 20 · 225 CMR 27.02, 27.03
Not covered
- Buildings under 20,000 sq ft of gross floor area
- Buildings outside Massachusetts
Worth knowing
An owner can ask DOER, by March 15 of the compliance year and with documentation, to excuse a year's reporting if the building was vacant all year, was demolished, was vacant for more than half the year because of a fire, flood or other natural cause, or its owner is in bankruptcy; DOER can also excuse other unforeseen cases, and confirms an approval by email. The list's floor areas come partly from assessor records, so DOER asks owners to correct a wrong size or dispute a listing, by April 30, through its forms.
The clock
Key deadlines
Passed
First LBER reports
Owners filed the first year's reports; DOER had published its first Covered Buildings List on March 31, 2025. 225 CMR 27.04 · DOER LBER white paper
Passed
2026 reports
Owners reported calendar-2025 energy use that the utilities did not. For these 2026 reports, DOER excused municipal light plants from reporting. DOER Covered Buildings List page · DOER LBER policy page
DOER publishes the results
DOER's annual building database and report, with each covered building's energy use. 225 CMR 27.10 · DOER LBER policy page
Before the report, from March 15
By March 15, ask DOER to excuse the year's reporting for a building that was vacant all year, was demolished, or was vacant more than half the year due to natural causes such as fire, flood or wind damage, or whose owner has filed or been dissolved in bankruptcy. By March 30, DOER publishes the 2027 Covered Buildings List. By April 30, dispute a listing, designate another party as owner or reporting entity, and send tenants a written request for energy use they buy directly; an owner who asks by then, has no answer by June 25 and shows DOER the request is not penalized for that tenant's energy. 225 CMR 27.03(1), 27.04(3)(a), 27.05(1), 27.06, 27.07(1)
Utilities report
Electric, gas and steam utilities report calendar-2026 use for covered buildings. 225 CMR 27.04 · DOER LBER policy page
Next deadline · 289 days
Owner reports due
Owners report calendar-2026 energy the utilities do not, such as oil, propane or solar. 225 CMR 27.04(3)
What happens if you miss itUtility-data corrections for the 2027 report
Owners may verify or correct the utility-reported 2026 figures by this date for consideration in the report DOER publishes in 2027. 225 CMR 27.04(4)
Compliance
How to comply
LBER asks every owner to claim the building and choose how its energy gets reported.
- 01
Claim your building
Find the building's UBID on DOER's Covered Buildings List and submit the Claim My Building form, so DOER has current contact details. Correct a wrong size, report a change of owner, or dispute a listing through DOER's forms. 225 CMR 27.03, 27.06, 27.07 · DOER compliance page
- 02
Automated reporting
For a building that uses only utility electricity and gas, is not already in Portfolio Manager and is not under BERDO or BEUDO, let DOER build the Portfolio Manager record from utility data. No further reporting is needed. DOER compliance page
- 03
Self-managed reporting
Benchmark in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, connect with DOER there and share the property with DOER, and report any delivered fuels or on-site renewables, such as oil, propane, wood or solar, by June 30. Giving DOER editing access lets it push utility data in automatically; that part is optional. 225 CMR 27.04(3) · DOER compliance page
- 04
BERDO and BEUDO filers
For a building covered by both LBER and Boston's BERDO or Cambridge's BEUDO, the city report counts as LBER reporting. Claim the building with DOER as well. A building the state covers and the city does not files with the state. DOER compliance page
We map each building to the path and dates that apply to it.
Enforcement
Penalties
DOER can enforce LBER with a notice, then daily fines.
- If an owner does not provide required energy use, DOER sends a notice; 30 days later it may fine up to $150 for each day the data is still missing.
- A tenant with more than 5% of the floor area that does not supply its energy use can be fined the same way.
- An owner is not penalized for energy a tenant orders and pays for directly if the owner asked the tenant in writing by April 30, had no answer by June 25, and shows DOER the request.
- DOER may audit reported data for five years.
225 CMR 27.11, 27.12 · 27.04(3)(a)
Questions
What owners ask
Does LBER apply to my building?
Yes, if it has 20,000 square feet or more of gross floor area anywhere in Massachusetts. Look it up on DOER's Covered Buildings List; if it meets the definition but is missing, DOER asks owners to add it with its Building Addition Form, and if it is listed but smaller, dispute the listing by April 30.
Is there an energy or emissions target?
No. LBER requires reporting and public disclosure only. Many buildings in Boston and Cambridge also fall under those cities' ordinances, which set emissions requirements for some of the buildings they cover; not every LBER building in those cities is one of them.
When is the next report due?
June 30, 2027, for calendar-year 2026 energy that the utilities do not report, such as oil, propane or solar. Utilities report electricity and gas by May 30.
My building files under BERDO or BEUDO. Do I file again?
Not if the building is covered by both. DOER counts the BERDO or BEUDO report as LBER reporting for those buildings. Claim the building with DOER so it has your contact details. A building the state covers and the city does not must still report to the state.
Do I have to use Portfolio Manager?
Not always. If the building uses only utility electricity and gas, is not already in Portfolio Manager and is not under BERDO or BEUDO, DOER can report it automatically once you claim it and choose automated reporting.
What happens if I miss it?
DOER sends a notice. If the data is still missing 30 days later, it may fine up to $150 for each day.
Could the threshold change?
The statute lets DOER set a lower threshold by regulation. Today's regulation keeps it at 20,000 square feet.
Private LBER reporting help from Vert Energy Group
Let someone who has read 225 CMR 27.00 handle it.
Vert maps your buildings against the Massachusetts law, tells you what is due and when, and shows you what compliance will cost before you commit to anything.