State and municipal building standards aimed at driving building energy performance and reducing carbon emissions have teeth and will force building owners to retrofit their properties.
Three U.S. cities (Washington D.C., New York, and St. Louis) and Washington State have legislation on the books that created building performance standards. These policies include continuous improvement, with the standards getting increasingly more stringent over time.
In New York, the performance standard is a carbon emissions limit that begins in 2024. Building owners in New York face fines if they do not reach that limit by 2024.
In Washington D.C., the performance standard revolves around energy efficiency improvement, with the 2021 standard set at the local median Energy Star Score by property type. If the building does not meet the standard, it enters a five-year compliance cycle in which the building must reduce its energy intensity by 20%. The D.C. standards will be recalculated every six years.
Facility managers at any location could check where their building would fall under Washington D.C.’s standards or New York’s carbon limits to gauge how well the building is performing, and how much improvement might be required. Making improvements better positions the building to meet future standards while saving money on energy spending.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Oct 26, 2017
Boston’s Old South Church asks tower developer for $19 million for casting shade
Request highlights ongoing conflict between developers and residents over right to sunshine.
Codes and Standards | Oct 24, 2017
Asphalt roofing design guide now available in digital form
Recently updated Modified Bitumen Design Guide can be viewed on smartphones and tablets.
Codes and Standards | Oct 23, 2017
Energy efficiency investments on the rise; will increase next year
Survey of facility management executives shows onsite renewables, energy storage will spike in 2018.
Codes and Standards | Oct 20, 2017
AIA contract document updates include new BIM, digital data provisions
Documents are structurally different from 2007, 2008 versions.
Codes and Standards | Oct 19, 2017
IAPMO seeks proposals for 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, Uniform Mechanical Code
The deadline is March 16, 2018.
Codes and Standards | Oct 18, 2017
States impacted by hurricanes are improving their energy efficiency policies
Florida, Texas, rise in ACEEE state energy efficiency scorecard.
Codes and Standards | Oct 17, 2017
Updated versions of EnergyPlus and OpenStudio building energy modeling tools released
Open-source apps include enhancements for urban-scale modeling.
Codes and Standards | Oct 16, 2017
New, comprehensive insurance exhibit released in AIA 2017 contract document updates
Will allow AIA to make updates more frequently as insurance market changes.
Codes and Standards | Oct 12, 2017
New AIA contract document designates responsibilities for sustainable projects
Roles of architects, contractors outlined in E204–2017.
Codes and Standards | Oct 11, 2017
Data, transparency are keys to next steps in green building, says USGBC chief
Monitoring and comparing performance are critical to advancing sustainability goals.