New Building Performance Standards:
Why They’re a Big Deal
Though it's been a couple of months since our last CSR issue, our team remains focused on climate change and the effect buildings largely have on the environment. In case you missed it; In January, President Biden announced the launch of the Building Performance Standards (BPS) Coalition, described by the White House as “a first-of-its-kind partnership between 33 state and local governments dedicated to delivering cleaner, healthier, and more affordable buildings.” The coalition partners have committed to advancing legislation or regulation of building performance by Earth Day 2024.
Boston recently passed the ‘BERDO 2.0’ bill, which targets net zero carbon by 2050; the city will cap and fine building emissions starting in 2025. Washington, D.C. has instituted energy performance minimums and fines for noncompliance.
Members of Syska Hennessy’s sustainability practice say that this is a very big deal for the AEC industry. They explain that these states and municipalities are essentially passing their own versions of New York City’s Local Law 97. As any New York building professional knows, Local Law 97 is exceptionally stringent. It sets a deadline of 2024 to meet new limits on emissions as the first step in achieving a 40% reduction by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2050.
Other cities have rolled out comparable standards. Boston recently passed the “BERDO 2.0” bill, which targets net zero carbon by 2050; the city will cap and fine building emissions starting in 2025. Washington, D.C. has instituted energy performance minimums and fines for noncompliance.
As more cities follow suit, design teams must alter their approach to both new construction and retrofits. BPS mandates increase the emphasis on energy efficiency and – ideally – electrification. The need for energy modeling and data-driven design, once the scope of concern of Class A buildings, has spread to all building classes.
The need for energy modeling and data-driven design, once the scope of concern of Class A buildings, has spread to all building classes.
One reason the new standards are so significant is that they require proof of performance. Energy models are only the first step. What happens after a ribbon-cutting takes place? Perhaps a certain tenant uses substantially more electricity, water, or electricity than other tenants, diverging from a model’s predictions. Perhaps a landlord is not keeping up with preventative maintenance, resulting in a decrease in energy efficiency. Every new building immediately becomes an existing building after a ribbon-cutting, and the BPS take this transition into account: Today’s model might not match tomorrow’s performance, LEED or Energy-Star ratings notwithstanding.
Our sustainability professionals think that BPS will change the AEC industry as much as the establishment of the national energy code did in the 1970s. Everyone’s job will become harder, but the efforts are eminently worthwhile. According to Architecture 2030, buildings are the largest source of the world’s carbon emissions globally. If we reduce our industry’s emissions, we’ll increase earth’s lifespan. That’s what we call a good return on investment.