(C06) Decarbonizing in the District: Aligning Legislation with Technology to Reduce Building Emissions

Through the Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS), a strategic regulatory tool that the District is using to help meet its green building and climate goals, Washington D.C. has taken a strong approach towards decarbonization in pursuit of achieving its goal to become carbon neutral by 2045. With thousands of buildings being impacted by these ambitious performance standards in the District and building performance standards cropping up all over the U.S., commercial real estate owners and operators must now plan strategically for portfolio decarbonization. While different building types present unique challenges and opportunities , one thing is clear: it takes a team to get this done. In this panel, Verdani Partners will guide a conversation to illustrate what compliance with the BEPS looks like in practice. A representative from the Institute for Market Transformation’s (IMT) Building Innovation Hub will provide an overview of the BEPS legislation, and what this means for commercial buildings. Now that the Compliance Pathway Selection milestone has been passed , we will take a closer look at the different pathways, the LEED v4/v4.1 rating systems, and what it takes to be successful. Jamestown will share how the Firm is leaning into the BEPS standard and leveraging the requirements to align and support its own portfolio decarbonization goals. The Firm will guide the audience through a series of case studies to showcase the measures that the company has adopted to ensure success across its DC portfolio relative to their chosen BEPS pathways. They will also share the importance of both high-tech and low-tech planning strategies and review some early "lessons learned" from their own portfolio of office, multi-family, and mixed-used assets. Prescriptive Data, a technology partner focused on energy efficiency, will also weigh in on how energy management software can support owners in their strategic decision-making for investments, dynamically tracking emissions according to BEPS legislation, and reducing the operational energy use of buildings and portfolios.