New York City's brand-new benchmarking reports are helping buildings become more energy efficient, but there are some steps that could be taken to improve their usefulness. 

Click above to download a full copy (.pdf) of the Friends of Benchmarking report.That's according to a new white paper issued by the Friends of Benchmarking, which is led by the Sallan Foundation and the Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute.

The energy benchmarking of a building is the comparison of the whole-building energy use of a building with a set of similar buildings. It provides a useful starting point for individual energy audits and for targeting buildings for energy-saving measures.

Earlier this month, Mayor Bloomberg released the first annual benchmarking report, which found that 75 percent of buildings reported their energy usage data. Some 12,000 buildings filed their information, which is an impressive feat given than it was a new technical process unfamiliar to most owners.

Going forward, there are ways to make the benchmarking process and tools even better to yield the best results. For example, according to the Friends of Benchmarking, the city could release a fuller set of data to help property owners understand all of the factors that lead to a building's total energy usage. The city could also engage more buildings in the benchmarking process through outreach, ongoing education and public recognition.

For the benchmarking program to be successful over the long term, the report also notes that future mayoral administrations need to make benchmarking and energy efficiency high priorities.

You can check out the full report here.