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IS ATLANTA UP TO THE CHALLENGE? The ordinance also complements

the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, an initiative developed to further President Obama’s goal of boosting energy efficiency in the built-environment. By joining the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, building owners and managers pledge to save energy and water 20 percent by 2030 in their selected buildings. The Atlanta BBC team works with the owners of these buildings to provide incentives such as free building assessments, education and training courses, access to project financing opportunities and more. There are no fees associated with participation in the Atlanta BBC, nor are there third-party certification requirements. BBC participants commit to: ❚ ❚ Publicly pledge a building-specific energy savings goal and develop a plan and schedule. ❚ ❚ Identify a building energy savings project (via the building assessment provided by the Atlanta BBC program) and implement the project.

A sustainable Atlanta Southern city has already made strides toward its goal of reducing consumption and emissions by 2030.

a joint initiative by the Institute for Market Transformation, a Washing- ton, D.C.–based nonprofit, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Atlanta is paving the way for oth- er cities to take advantage of the significant environmental and eco- nomic benefits that come with mak- ing city skylines more energy effi- cient,” said Melissa Wright, director of the City Energy Project at NRDC, in a press release. “This ordinance is tailor-made for Atlanta, taking best practices from other cities and refin- ing them to meet local needs. It will not only reduce harmful air pollu- tion that threatens public health, but drive local job creation, and help the city and building owners lower their energy bills.” That’s not all. The new ordinance also ties into the “Power to Change” – At- lanta’s citywide sustainability initia- tive that seeks to make the Southeast a top-tier sustainable region in the U.S. Atlanta has already accomplished:

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent A tlanta was the 12th U.S. city to implement a benchmarking leg- islation to help it reduce commer- cial energy consumption and carbon emissions and boost its economy. The ordinance targets a 20 percent reduc- tion in commercial energy consump- tion and a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions from 2013 levels by 2030, the plan also aims to cre- ate more than 1,000 jobs annually for the first few years. The benchmarking legislation re- quires building owners to report their properties’ energy use annual- ly. Using this data, owners will com- plete an online energy audit every 10 years to assess potential perfor- mance improvements. That data will be made available to the public, al- lowing the market to recognize, re- ward, and push for more energy-ef- ficient buildings. The city is expected to begin reporting data for its prop- erties in the fall. The ordinance is part of Atlanta’s work under the City Energy Project,

❚ ❚ Share utility data with the US Department of Energy, as well as information about the tools,

technologies, and processes they used to implement projects and reach their pledge goal In accordance with the Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge, the Atlanta BBC will commit to: ❚ ❚ Provide energy efficient implementation technical assistance to help participants identify opportunities and achieve their pledge ❚ ❚ Establish a marketplace of energy efficient stakeholders such as government, industry, service providers, financial institutions, and technology resources in order to transform the market and realize the full economic and environmental benefits of energy efficient projects ❚ ❚ Publicly recognize partners and participants for their progress in achieving milestones and reaching goals through various marketing and PR initiatives ❚ ❚ Provide educational resources for building owners, managers and operators For more information, visit atlantabbc.com .

See ATLANTA , page 8

ULY 20, 2015, ISSUE 1112

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