6C — February 19 - March 12, 2021 — Property Management — Owners, Developers & Managers — M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal
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Property Management
By Rob Holdsworth, Evolution Energy Partners The Building Energy Performance Rule: Philadelphia’s New Building Tune-up Law commercial, industrial, and multifamily buildings.
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clean energy by 2030. Mayor Jim Kenney’s goal is to cut car- bon pollution citywide by 80% by 2050 and move toward using 100% clean energy. The next step in the city’s ambitious energy conservation program, announced in Novem- ber 2019 (Bill #190600), is the Building Energy Performance Program. The Building Energy Performance Program man- dates that all non-residential buildings, 50,000 s/f and larger, must submit a certification of high energy performance to the Philadelphia Office of Sustain - ability, or conduct a building energy “tune-up” to increase
the energy performance of the building. The policy is now offi - cially in effect, with compliance deadlines beginning September 2021. EEPwas a proudmember of the Office of Sustainability’s “work group” that helped de- velop the policy guidelines. We added our technical expertise, along with our focus on building owner interests and concerns, to create regulations that are achievable. The Building Energy Per- formance Rule (Philadel- phia Code 9-3403) contains a number of important provi- sions, along with a number of important “exemptions”:
istory In 2012, Philadel- phia joined in with
Provisions: • Building owners must sub - mit a “building tune-up re- port”. The tune-up report must summarize energy and water performance issues found by a “qualified tune-up specialist” (licensed P.E. or Certified En - ergy Manager, CEM), no later than the following schedule: o September 30, 2021 for buildings 200,000 s/f or larger o September 30, 2022 for buildings 100,000 s/f or larger o September 30, 2023 for buildings 70,000 s/f or larger o September 30, 2024 for buildings between 50,000 and 70,000 s/f o Due to COVID-19, buildings with a compliance deadline of September 30, 2021, can apply for a six-month extension. To request an extension, building owners must submit a Compli- ance Extension Request Form by April 5, 2021. The Philadel- phia Office of Sustainability has released several resources on their website to help building owners and operators comply with the new regulation. • Each building must then re- submit their “tune-up” report every 5 years. • Building “tune-ups” must include assessments of certain identified base building sys- tems that use or impact the building’s energy and water use; (e.g. building envelope, heating and ventilation sys- tems, domestic hot water sys- tems, electrical lighting among others). Exemptions: Your facility is exempt if it meets the following: • Received Certified EPA En - ergy Star Score of 75 or greater. A Professional Engineer can conduct an EPA energy bench- mark on your building to deter- mine your current EPA Energy Star Certification. • Completed an energy audit (ASHRAE Level II) and have implemented the “no-cost/low- cost” energy efficiency mea- sures that were identified in the audit to meet the “Tune-Up” requirements. How Can Building Own- ers and Operators Best Comply with the Philadel- phia Building Energy Per- formance Rule? As mentioned above, there are several exemptions to the new City policy that both satisfy the requirements out- lined in the Building Energy Performance Program and continued on page 10C
As part of the program, Phila- delphia mandated the use of the EPA’s Energy Star and Portfolio Manager to assist with calculating building en- ergy use. As of last year, 320 million s/f of building space conducts mandatory Energy Benchmarking, representing 20% of the city’s total s/f of building space. Where Are We Now? Philadelphia’s Municipal Energy Master Plan has a goal of cutting the city’s carbon foot- print from municipal buildings by 50% and procuring 100%
sustainabil- i ty - f ocused municipal i - t i es across the country and created The Energy Benchmark- ing and Dis- closure Law
Rob Holdsworth
(Philadelphia Code, Section 9-3402). Since 2012, 27 cities, one county, and three states have established energy bench- marking and transparency requirements covering public,
Drive Y our Corporate Sustainability W hile Saving Money.
Efficiency. Risk Management. Data Management.
Contact Evolution Energy Partners today at 877-280-4655 or info@evolutionep.com
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