flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Cambridge, Mass., is latest locale to require energy usage disclosure

Cambridge, Mass., is latest locale to require energy usage disclosure

Mandate for large structures in step with national trend


By BD+C Staff | July 31, 2014
Photo: Shinkuken via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Shinkuken via Wikimedia Commons

The City Council of Cambridge, Mass., approved the Building Energy Usage and Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) that requires benchmarking and disclosure of building energy performance for large commercial, institutional, and multifamily buildings. Nine other U.S. cities—Austin, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.—along with two states and one county have enacted similar laws.

Cambridge’s new ordinance addresses energy and water use in commercial and institutional buildings that are 25,000 sf or larger, along with multifamily buildings that have 50 or more units, and municipal buildings over 10,000 sf. Owners must annually benchmark and report their properties’ energy use, water use, and building information using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Portfolio Manager tool.

The ordinance will be phased in for various building types and sizes, with municipal buildings reporting their data by the end of 2014. Starting in the second year of reporting, data collected will be disclosed annually through a public web site.

(http://www.imt.org/news/the-current/cambridge-mass.-passes-energy-benchmarking-ordinance)

Related Stories

Codes and Standards | Apr 14, 2015

New York City preparing new codes for evacuation elevators

New York City’s Fire, Buildings, and City Planning Departments in New York are writing rules to govern occupant-evacuation elevators, reflecting a change in philosophy of how to evacuate people from skyscrapers in an emergency.

Codes and Standards | Apr 12, 2015

California imposes stringent new water standards

California is the first state to adopt standards that are more efficient than those set by EPA's WaterSense program. 

Codes and Standards | Apr 12, 2015

Virginia surpasses Florida for strictest hurricane building codes

Virginia has edged out Florida as the state with the most stringent hurricane building codes, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety’s “2015 Rating the States” report. 

Codes and Standards | Apr 6, 2015

Industry groups petition for change order reform on federal projects

Nine design and construction associations ask for assurance that funds available for additional work.

Codes and Standards | Apr 6, 2015

DOE releases Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines

The guidelines are aimed at strengthening and streamlining commercial building workforce training and certification programs for workers in energy auditing, building commissioning, building operations, and energy management.

Green | Apr 3, 2015

Georgia may ban use of LEED on state buildings

Georgia's state legislature is considering a measure to require all state buildings to only use green building standards that permit the use of Georgia's lumber.

Codes and Standards | Mar 29, 2015

Elevator shafts a major source of heat loss in New York City

A typical New York apartment building loses thousands of dollars worth of energy every year from leaky elevator shafts that vent warm air at the top of the building and draw in cold air at the bottom, according to a new Urban Green Council report.

Green | Mar 22, 2015

6 myths holding back green building

Sustainable design has proven benefits, so why isn’t it more widely adopted?

Multifamily Housing | Mar 16, 2015

New Jersey Supreme Court puts control of affordable housing agency in the courts

The court said the state’s affordable housing agency had failed to do its job, and effectively transferred the agency's regulatory authority to lower courts.

Codes and Standards | Mar 16, 2015

San Jose adopts bird-friendly building standard

The standard includes avoiding large chunks of transparent or reflective glass and adding fritting.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021