Preparing for Building Energy Performance Standards in Montgomery County

May 6, 2-3 pm

Approved for 1.0 general GBCI CE and 1.0 AIA LU

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Speakers

 

Emily Curley, Commercial Energy Program Manager, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection

Cliff Majersik, Senior Advisor, Policy and Programs, IMT

Tom Deyo, CEO, Montgomery County Green Bank

Chris Brown, Chief, Office of Energy and Sustainability, Montgomery County Department of General Services

 

Description

 

Montgomery County Council unanimously declared a climate emergency in 2017 and has adopted aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets of 80% by 2027 and 100% by 2035. Commercial building energy use accounts for 26% of community-wide emissions in Montgomery County. Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) are a foundational policy that will directly reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions from the existing built environment. Through BEPS requirements and accompanying tools to help them succeed, owners in the County will reduce the climate impacts of their buildings through deep energy retrofits, operational improvements, and tenant engagement.

Several jurisdictions have now implemented “beyond benchmarking” policies that compel building owners to take action to improve their buildings’ energy performance in addition to reporting data. BEPS are policies that set a minimum energy performance threshold for buildings, requiring covered buildings to meet or maintain newly established efficiency standards. To date, BEPS policies have been adopted in Washington, D.C., New York City, St. Louis, and Washington state—these jurisdictions are just beginning to implement their policies. As with energy benchmarking, Montgomery County is poised to become the first county to pass BEPS legislation and join the small group of innovative jurisdictions adopting such a strategy.

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This panel presentation will examine several perspectives of building energy performance standards:

• Cliff Majersik from the Institute for Market Transformation will present the overall impetus for performance standards, discuss common policy elements in the policies that have been adopted to date, and share progress of BEPS legislation in other jurisdictions, from Washington, DC to Washington State.

• Lindsey Shaw from Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection will outline the specific elements of the building energy performance standards now being considered for Montgomery County. She will describe anticipated building coverage, policy model, plans, and proposed timeline for implementation.

• Chris Brown from Montgomery County’s Department of General Services will describe how County-owned buildings are preparing to comply with BEPS and prioritizing and planning efficiency projects across a large portfolio. 

• Tom Deyo from the Montgomery County Green Bank will discuss the Green Bank products and programs currently available to support the covered building community with financing necessary efficiency and renewable energy projects.

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Learning Objectives

 

1. Understand the basics of building energy performance standards and the policy elements of these initiatives now taking root across the U.S.

2. Communicate BEPS elements as proposed in Montgomery County.

3. Share experience from County-owned building staff on the strategies and energy efficiency projects they are considering to comply with BEPS.

4. Present related opportunities available through the Montgomery County Green Bank to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects needed to meet energy performance standards.

 

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