What is Building performance standards (BPS)?
Building performance standards, or BPS, are laws that require existing buildings to meet energy use or greenhouse gas emissions targets over time, with penalties or alternative compliance payments for missing them. Unlike benchmarking, which only requires reporting, a BPS requires measured improvement. Several US cities and states have adopted them.
What it is
A building performance standard turns benchmarking data into an obligation. Owners of covered buildings must show that their building meets a target, usually expressed as energy use intensity or emissions per square foot, by set compliance dates.
Targets typically tighten in steps over the years. Laws differ on the metric, the building types covered, the size threshold, how targets are set and what happens if a building misses its target.
Early adopters include Boston, Chula Vista, Denver, New York, St. Louis and Washington DC, and the states of Colorado and Washington. Other jurisdictions are developing their own.
Who it applies to
Owners of larger existing commercial and multifamily buildings in jurisdictions that have adopted a BPS. Some laws also cover public buildings owned by the city or state. Check your local law for the size threshold and building types it covers.
How it is measured
Most standards rely on annual benchmarking data, often submitted through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, with some using weather-normalized metrics.
- Whole building energy use by fuel
- Gross floor area and property type
- Weather-normalized EUI or emissions, where the law requires it
- Evidence of measures taken and their effect
How Aqueduct helps
Aqueduct tracks each building's weather-normalized performance against its target all year, acts on the gap, and supplies the measured numbers the filing needs. Your team or consultant files.
- aQ EnergySmart baselines per building, normalized with cooling and heating degree days
- The gap to target shown per building, with the faults and waste behind it
- Verified reductions at the meter after each fix
- aQ Assurance exports for benchmarking and compliance filings