Tag: Urban Efficiency

The origins of the Building Energy Benchmarking Ordinance lie in Greenworks Philadelphia, a comprehensive and ambitious sustainability plan announced by the Mayor of Philadelphia in 2009 to make Philadelphia ‘the greenest city in America’ by 2015. The plan comprises 15 measurable targets and 164 initiatives encompassing five specific areas: energy, environment, equity, economy and engagement. 

The City of Seattle aims to attain carbon neutrality by 2050, and plans to reduce both commercial building energy use by 10% and residential building energy use by 20% by 2030. To support these targets and its Climate Action Plan, the City adopted the Seattle Building Energy Benchmarking and Reporting Program in January 2010, directly drawing on the expertise of cities pursuing similar policies, such as New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. 

San Francisco’s Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance (ECB ordinance) came into force in 2011, targeting all non-residential buildings with more than 10,000 square feet (ft²) of conditioned space (e.g. heated and/or air-conditioned). The programme specifically aims to reduce total energy consumption in non-residential buildings by 2.5% per year, achieving a total reduction of 50% by 2030 below 1990 levels.

The landmark legislation for Existing Buildings (EB) was enacted in 2012 to support Singapore’s national target of ‘greening’ at least 80% of its building stock by 2030. It signals a shift in Singapore’s focus from new to existing buildings, as part of its second Green Building Master Plan (GBMP), with the first GBMP (2006) focusing on new buildings and the third GBMP (2014) focusing on engaging occupants and tenants.

OneNYC sets a target of reducing New York City’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050, compared to 2005 levels. The City’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP) is one of the world’s most comprehensive building energy efficiency policy packages, and supports the citywide target through four local laws.