Energy disclosure requirements and other data transparency efforts have had varied impacts on building efficiency.  Study findings are summarized in brief below.

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Impacts on Energy Use

Portland, OR 2018 benchmarking policy summary report: benchmarked buildings have shown a 3.5% decrease in energy use per square foot since data was first reported, with some building types (grocery stores, strip malls) showing declines in energy use of more than 10 percent.

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Seattle 2016 benchmarking policy summary report: Seattle likewise saw a decline in energy use per square foot of close to 4%, with some sectors seeing declines of 7 percent.  

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Review of benchmarking and disclosure ordinances (2016): Concerns, strategies, and outcomes of disclosure and benchmarking in eight cities.  As of 2016, findings include EUIs 2.4 to 7 times higher in the worst-performing buildings, even within the same building class; better or equivalent performance by older buildings when compared to newer buildings; and a statistically significant reduction in utility costs of 3 percent per square foot.

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Overview of benchmarking and disclosure policy characteristics and impacts (Lawrence Berkeley Labs, 2017): Finds reductions in energy use, costs, or EUI ranging from 1.6 to 14 percent across cities, with most cities seeing reductions between 3 to 8 percent.

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Relationship between Energy Use and Building Age

Earlier findings (also here) from Portland's program found that building age was not a clear determinant of energy performance.  Seattle saw a similarly complex relationship between building age and efficiency (see here and here) as did Philadelphia here.