Montgomery County Councilmembers unanimously voted to establish regulations on energy performance standards for certain building types.
“This is 13 months in the making to fulfill our obligations to reduce our emissions,” said Councilmember Evan Glass, chair transportation and environment committee.
The regulation sets Energy Use Intensity (EUI) performance standards for building groups, defines how renewable energy will be incorporated into performance metrics and defines the elements required in Building Performance Improvement Plans (BPIPs).
Most buildings that are 25,000 square feet or longer account for approximately 30 percent of the county’s building emissions and approximately 15 percent of total countywide emissions, according to county officials.
The new requirements require that commercial and residential buildings become more energy efficient by reducing carbon emissions.
The requirements include a new performance cap pathway for individual buildings so that final performance standards won’t require a reduction of greater than 30% from their individual baseline.
“This is a big, bold step,” Glass said during council’s Tuesday meeting. “While the country might be pulling back from our moral obligations on a global stage, we will continue leading here locally,” he said.
“While investments in public transit have greatly reduced our greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, this regulation will help us further bend the curve on the 52% percent of countywide carbon emissions that still emanate from buildings.”
“Today we took a historic step forward to advance our climate change and public health goals by adopting our Building Energy Performance Regulations,” said Council President Kate Stewart.
“These regulations are the product of a yearlong process of working with and listening to all stakeholders,” Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe wrote in a news release.
