The U.S. Department of Energy has released two resources to help analyze the energy, non-energy, and market transformation impacts of building energy benchmarking policies and programs.
One handbook provides methodologies for jurisdictions to use to analyze the impact of their benchmarking policies and programs. The second demonstrates the methodologies using real data from New York City’s benchmarking ordinance, Local Law 84 (LL84).
Building energy benchmarking is the process of measuring how efficiently a building uses energy relative to the other similar buildings over time. The DOE Benchmarking & Transparency Policy and Program Impact Evaluation Handbook provides cost-effective, standardized analytic methods for determining gross and net energy reduction, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation, job creation and economic growth impacts.
The second report found that between 2010 and 2013—the first four years of LL84—buildings covered by the ordinance reduced energy use by 5.7% and lowered greenhouse gas emissions by 8.3%. The benchmarking efforts directly created 39 jobs as well another roughly 7,000 jobs through energy-efficiency activities.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Aug 2, 2018
The recipe for bicycle kitchens
Bike storage and workshop spaces are rapidly turning into full-service social amenity spaces in multifamily projects.
Multifamily Housing | Aug 2, 2018
Bicycle kitchens give cyclists their very own amenity space
Bike storage and workshop spaces are rapidly turning into full-service social amenity spaces in multifamily projects.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 31, 2018
Put air rights to better use
If your school district is building a new school, build housing in the air space above it and put lower-paid public employees at the front of the line to live there.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 25, 2018
Multifamily market trends 2018: Demographic shifts reshape the residential landscape
Changing generational preferences are prompting multifamily developers to re-strategize.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 19, 2018
Multifamily market stays hot in first half of 2018
The average rent grew by $12 in June, to an all-time high of $1,405, according to a survey of 127 markets by Yardi Matrix.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 18, 2018
First apartment building funded by Massachusetts’ workforce housing subsidy program opens
The transit-oriented Gateway North Residences is centrally located in Lynn, Mass.
Codes and Standards | Jul 17, 2018
NIMBYism, generational divide threaten plan for net-zero village in St. Paul, Minn.
The ambitious redevelopment proposal for a former Ford automotive plant creates tension.
Codes and Standards | Jul 17, 2018
In many markets, green features are more of a requirement for apartment renters
Renters in many U.S. cities have come to expect green features in apartments that they rent, with an eye toward energy efficiency and healthy indoor air.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 13, 2018
Student housing vs. multifamily housing—what are the differences?
While student and multi-family housing share a common building form, it’s the student resident that drives the innovation of new spaces.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 11, 2018
Meet the ‘CoHaus’: N.Y. developer unveils large-scale flats concept for boomers, Gen Xers
With its new CoHaus development, Ward Capital Management is betting on baby boomers downsizing and Gen Xers upsizing.
