What You Need to Know about Building Performance Standards

The newly implemented Building Performance Standard (BPS) is aimed at helping federal facilities achieve multiple sustainability and emissions reduction objectives. Federal government-owned and managed buildings are the biggest electricity consumers and greenhouse gas emitters in the U.S. In an effort to promote energy conservation and emissions reduction, the Biden Administration revealed the BPS in December.

The Federal Building Performance Standard is an initiative the government took to achieve its objective of reaching net-zero emissions by 2045. It also aims to help federal facilities to undergo deep energy retrofits while supporting other federal goals and executive orders. As per the Council on Environmental Quality's announcement, the Federal BPS aims to eradicate scope 1 emissions from standard building operations.

By 2030, the Federal Building Performance Standard mandates that an agency's eligible facilities, as measured by gross square footage, must achieve zero scope 1 emissions from on-site fossil fuel use through building electrification, with a minimum requirement of 30%.

A Building Performance Standard (BPS) is a policy and law that focuses on reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. It requires existing facilities to meet energy or greenhouse gas emissions-based targets. Many cities and states across the country have implemented BPS.

With BPS sweeping the nation, either local, state, or national, this new legislation is an excellent way of implementing measures that will lower your building energy usage. The Department of Energy website includes a map of all the locations where BPS legislation has been passed. Even if your facility isn't in an area where BPS is required, there is a good chance there will be a BPS in your area soon. So it's crucial that building and facility managers educate themselves and prepare for BPS and what will be required to meet the standards in their facilities.