Straight answers
Straight answers, with sources.
Do I have to hire someone?
No. You don't need to hire anyone to comply, and filing yourself is free: EPA's Portfolio Manager, the state portal and the state help desk cost nothing. What it takes is time. You set up Portfolio Manager, request 12 months of data from each utility (and from tenants if they pay their own bills), clear the Data Quality Checker, claim the building and file in the state portal, answer any "Pending Revisions", and repeat it every year. If you hold every account and your utility uploads data automatically, it can be manageable. We're for owners who'd rather hand it off, have tenant-metered buildings, or manage several properties.
What does the free state help desk do?
It answers questions and walks you through the steps: (888) 458-2107, [email protected], weekdays 9–5. You still collect the data, enter it and file. It's run for Minnesota Commerce by its contractor, Touchstone IQ, which also sells paid full-service plans. Compare options, including ours.
What's included in the price?
Everything from setup to the state's "In Compliance" email: Portfolio Manager, every utility and tenant data request, Data Quality Checker fixes, the state filing, any "Pending Revisions", a one-page summary, and next year's reminder. Flat, per building. See pricing →
How long does it take?
Minnesota hasn't published a figure. A City of Portland pilot of five buildings (none needed tenant data) found 3–9 hours of active work per building (median 6) in the first year, spread over one month to a year depending on staff availability and how fast utilities sent data. Participants expected later years to take two hours or less. Minnesota adds a state portal filing. With us, your part is the short list on the pricing page.
Source: City of Portland Multifamily Energy Reporting Pilot, June 2026, p. 14 (Portland's program, not Minnesota's).
What if the person who filed last year leaves?
The filing depends on a Portfolio Manager login, a state portal account and knowing which meters go where. When that person leaves, the next filing can start from scratch. With us, the file, the authorizations and the meter list carry over each year, and you can add or change contacts anytime.
Which buildings must report?
Most privately owned buildings of 50,000 sq ft or more, including churches and private schools, in the seven-county metro (served by an investor-owned utility) and in Minnesota cities of more than 50,000 people outside it. Excluded: homes with fewer than 5 units, manufacturing and industrial, and agricultural buildings. Public buildings go through B3.
What happens if I miss June 1?
The state sends a warning by June 15. You have until July 15 to file or request an extension, and an extension runs to August 15. Commerce may impose a civil fine of $1,000.
What about Minneapolis and Edina?
Minneapolis has its own benchmarking ordinance for commercial and multifamily buildings of 50,000 sq ft or more (City-owned, 25,000 or more). It requires water data too, with a $200 fine for late reports. Edina requires reports for buildings of 25,000–49,999 sq ft, due June 1. We'll tell you which filings your building needs. St. Paul discontinued its city requirement in 2025.
My tenants pay their own bills. Is that a problem?
It adds steps. Utilities can release whole-building data when there are at least 4 customers and none uses more than 50%. Otherwise tenants must consent. Tenants must give owners their data within 30 days of a request.
When can the report be done?
After the December bills post. Xcel's portal only covers months at least 45 days old, and the data runs about two months behind on average, so most reports are filed between February and May.
Do I need an engineer or verification?
No. State law doesn't require third-party verification. You do have to run Portfolio Manager's Data Quality Checker.
What happens to my data?
We never sell it. We use it only to quote, prepare and file your building's reports. Privacy
When do I pay?
When you approve your quote. You pay the full flat price upfront by card through Stripe, using the link in your quote email, and work starts after payment. Cancel before work starts and we refund it in full. We email you when work starts. See the Terms.
Is this service live?
Yes. Send your building's address on the quote form and we'll email a flat quote. Nothing is filed or charged until you approve it.