Seattle Mayor Introduces BEPS
Today, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the proposed Building Emissions Performance Standard for the City of Seattle. The policy is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing buildings 27% by 2050.
The new Building Emissions Performance Standard will require Seattle’s existing buildings over 20,000 square feet to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets. The legislation applies to both nonresidential and multifamily housing and will require compliance every 5 years leading up to a target of net zero emissions city-wide by 2050.
The rule will require a BEPS qualified person to review benchmarking and submit a report on a building’s greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) and its target (GHGIT). All-electric buildings are assumed compliant and do not need to document meeting their target, and portfolios and campuses may comply together using an aggregate GHGIT. The law provides a number of other options for alternative compliance.
BEPS will overlap with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard, requiring Seattle buildings to comply with both.
