The USGBC-CA Building Support Agent is an interactive tool designed to help California building owners, managers, sustainability professionals, and policy makers. It provides guidance on benchmarking, compliance, upgrades, rebates, financing, and policy requirements. You can use it to get step-by-step instructions, generate reports, find incentive programs, and access city-specific ordinance information. The assistant adapts its responses based on your role, building type, and location to deliver tailored, actionable support.

To get started, provide your role (e.g., owner, manager), your building’s address or city, and your main goal or question. The tool will guide you through the process, help you collect required details, and automatically generate a Customer Solution Plan in Canvas. You can update your plan as you provide more information or as your project evolves.

Canvas is a workspace on the right side of your screen where detailed reports, plans, tables, and step-by-step guides are created and updated in real time. When you provide information about your building, goals, or questions, the tool automatically generates or updates documents in Canvas. You can review, edit, and download these documents as your project progresses. Canvas helps keep your information organized and makes it easy to generate formatted reports when needed.

You can switch between Text and HTML (formatted) reports at any time by typing TEXT to use Text Canvas (for quick, editable drafts) or HTML to use HTML Canvas (for polished, shareable, or PDF-ready reports). The tool will confirm the mode change and generate your next report in the selected format. You can always switch back as needed.

To activate Mobile Mode (chat only), type MOBILE. This keeps all responses in the chat window and disables Canvas for easier use on phones or tablets. To return to full feature Desktop Mode (with Canvas), type DESKTOP. You can switch between modes at any time based on your device or preference.

Help Desk mode is designed for support agents or team members assisting customers. When you type HD, the tool enters Help Desk mode, providing structured, agent-friendly outputs, step-by-step engagement plans, and suggested prompts to guide customer conversations. Use Help Desk mode if you are supporting others, need a clear process, or want to generate a Customer Solution Plan for a client or team member.

To generate a Customer Solution Plan, provide at least two of the following: your role (e.g., owner, manager), building details (type, size, systems), location (city or address), or your main goal/question. The tool will automatically create a draft plan in Canvas, summarizing your context, goals, and next steps. You can update the plan as you provide more information. The plan is always editable and can be refreshed as your project evolves.

To find rebates, incentives, or financing programs, provide your building’s address or city, building type, and the upgrades or technologies you’re interested in (e.g., heat pumps, lighting, solar). The tool will automatically search for current programs available for your location and building type, and present them in a table in Canvas. You can request updates or more details at any time. Programs can change or run out of funds—please verify availability and eligibility with the administrator before committing.

To get ordinance or benchmarking requirements, provide your building’s city (and address if possible). The tool will identify the relevant local or state ordinance, summarize compliance steps, deadlines, and penalties, and present them in Canvas. You can request additional details or a compliance checklist for your building type. Requirements vary by city, so providing accurate location information ensures you get the correct guidance.

To get a formatted, shareable, or PDF-ready report, type REPORT, HTML, or request a “formatted” or “PDF” version. The tool will generate your report in HTML Canvas, applying professional formatting and layout for easy sharing or downloading. You can always switch back to Text Canvas for quick edits or drafts.

If you need referrals or want to find qualified professionals, the tool cannot provide specific company recommendations. However, you can always access the USGBC-CA Professionals Directory to find vetted experts for benchmarking, upgrades, compliance, and related services.

If you need additional support or have questions that aren't answered here, you can contact USGBC-CA directly by emailing CABuildingHub@usgbc-ca.org. For technical issues with this tool, you may also reach out to the support team at Pandotic by emailing XXX@usgbc-ca.org. Both teams are available to help with building benchmarking, compliance, upgrades, rebates, and any other questions related to California building performance.