(G10) Raising the Bar for Building Performance: Setting and Achieving Climate Action Goals with BPS

There is a growing set of Building Performance Standards (BPS) around the world, which set energy and emissions targets for existing buildings, such as Washington DC’s Building Energy Performance Standards, New York City’s Local Law 97, and the Federal Building Performance Standard, and more, demonstrate the effectiveness of these standards for reaching their own climate goals. This session will take a broader view of BPS, looking not only at required standards for private buildings, but also standards for portfolios, voluntary standards, and standards for recognition or financing. Unlike benchmarking, the details of BPS vary widely as jurisdictions experiment with different approaches. We will examine what jurisdictions are faced with in making a BPS actionable, and how such standards can promote equity. As a case study, we will present an update on Washington, DC’s BPS implementation, and options for revising it. With the audience, we will investigate reasons jurisdictions decided on given metrics and goals and the constraints that drove that direction. This will allow us to both appreciate and critique future BPS as we present new analyses on effectiveness over time.