After you submit your Tier 2 filing: what happens next
Pressing submit in the Clean Buildings Portal is not quite the end. Here is what Commerce does next, what can go wrong, and what you have to keep doing after you are approved.
The timeline
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Commerce reviews the compliance application | Up to 30 business days |
| Commerce reviews the incentive application | Up to 14 more business days |
| Utility requests a W-9 and pays the incentive | After approval; payments may be reduced or delayed to match what utilities can pay |
Commerce reviews applications in the order received, so filing early matters more as the deadline approaches.
If corrections are needed
Commerce emails a "corrections needed" notice with what to fix and how to resubmit. A denied application can be corrected and resubmitted. Commerce does not publish a list of common rejection reasons, but in practice problems come from mismatches: a floor area that differs between Portfolio Manager, Form B and the letter; Reporting Tool answers that do not match the documents; a Portfolio Manager property not shared with Commerce; or a missing signature. Fix the issue, resubmit, and keep the email trail.
After approval: what you keep doing
- Run the O&M Program. Keep carrying out inspections and logging them. Commerce can ask for evidence, and the next filing needs it. O&M Program guide.
- Update the Energy Management Plan every year with the latest EUI and weather-normalised EUI, compare them with the target, and give occupants access to the plan.
- Keep benchmarking in Portfolio Manager so the data is ready for the next cycle.
- Review the program when equipment, use or tenants change.
- Refile every five years. The next Tier 2 reports fall due five years after 1 July 2027.
Watch for
Tier 2 performance rules, which Commerce must adopt by the end of 2030. Buildings well above their EUI target should use the next few years to act on the measures in their plan. How the target works.
Not submitted yet? Start with the filing checklist or see the Tier 2 Filing Kit.