Are Building Performance Standards going away?

As of early 2024, about 25% of all buildings in the U.S. were covered by Building Performance Standards (BPS). There have been suggestions that with the current political landscape, BPS will lessen, and few new markets will require BPS compliance. 

Quite the opposite is true. The trend indicates BPS are becoming increasingly prevalent and more stringent as cities, states, and even counties are pushing towards climate goals and a more sustainable built environment. Over 30 U.S. cities, in addition to those which have already passed BPS policies, have committed to passing such standards by 2026 or earlier. 

As of December 2024, the City of Newton, Massachusetts  created its new BPS requirements and as of February 2025, the town Clayton Missouri ratified energy benchmarking requirements for all buildings over 100,000 square feet (it is estimated that there are sixty buildings that will need to comply).  Seeing these smaller jurisdictions appearing demonstrates that as BPS continues to gain traction, it will do so not only in large metropolitan markets like New York but at local levels, creating additional challenges for property owners and operators to stay abreast of these changes.  

In January 2025, the National BPS Coalition reaffirmed their commitments to BPS and using it to reduce the built industry’s impact on the environment.  Two members, West Hollywood CA, and Santa Monica CA (two smaller cities) are anticipated to adopt their BPS policies in the second quarter of 2025.

What is the National BPS Coalition?

The National BPS Coalition is a voluntary group of state and local governments (nearly forty as of January 2025) across the United States committed to designing and implementing equitable building performance standards. Their mission is to drive significant improvements in building energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and foster healthier and more resilient communities.

The core goals of the coalition are:

• Accelerate the adoption of BPS: To encourage and support more jurisdictions in developing and implementing building performance standards. It is currently estimated that approximately 25-30 of these coalition members will launch their BPS programs in the next 24 months.

• Drive building retrofits: To stimulate investment in upgrading existing buildings with energy-efficient technologies and systems, leading to reduced energy consumption and emissions.

• Align with climate goals: To ensure that building performance policies contribute to broader climate action plans and help achieve energy affordability and public health benefits.

Why Focus on Existing Buildings?

The emphasis on existing buildings is paramount because they represent the majority of the current building stock and are significant contributors to energy use and emissions. While new, high-performance buildings are essential, achieving substantial reductions in greenhouse gases requires addressing the environmental footprint of the buildings where people already live, work, and learn. Retrofitting these buildings not only cuts emissions but can also lead to lower utility bills, improved indoor air quality, and enhanced resilience to extreme weather events.

Looking Ahead

The National BPS Coalition continues to grow and gain momentum. By fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge, and driving the adoption of equitable building performance standards, the coalition is working to create a future with more sustainable, affordable, healthy, and resilient buildings. As more state and local governments join this movement, the impact on reducing emissions and creating thriving communities will continue to grow. 

Additionally, as each jurisdiction has its own unique requirements for compliance, and there can be multiple pathways to achieving compliance, it creates even more challenges for property owners and operators to understand what their best options for compliance might be. For example, in some BPS Jurisdictions, onsite solar counts as an offset to its energy use intensity; the operator can reduce its total energy consumed by the amount the Solar PV systems create, which achieves compliance. In other markets, solar is not subtracted from the total EUI making energy reduction pathways more viable. The point is, as more jurisdictions release their BPS requirements, the trickier it will become to navigate the BPS Landscape.

Need help?

GreenT Climate Software is here to assist! We can evaluate your current property performance to see your risk with respect to existing and emerging BPS.. Contact us for all your needs and questions. We can support you in deciding your pathway to compliance, model your whole building data, and more!