Does your build pass the BEPS test?
Washington, D.C., is raising the bar when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Originally launched in 2019, the Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS) is one of the first attempts in the United States to require existing buildings, which are responsible for nearly 70% of Washington, D.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions, to cut their energy use by installing energy-efficient upgrades.
The BEPS requires buildings to have energy-efficient heating, cooling and cooking systems. For buildings that consume above-average amounts of energy, owners have until the end of 2026 to remedy this or pay a fine. The D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, which runs the BEPS program, said it will currently waive penalties if a building’s owner is making continuous efforts to satisfy the law. Rather than paying the fine, the Department urges BEPS violators to use that money to install the efficiency upgrades the law requires.
When BEPS was established in 2019, it laid out a plan for three compliance cycles, with buildings forced to meet energy-efficient goals until 2040. Each cycle also covers more buildings: first, those larger than 50,000 square feet, approximately the size of a 60-unit apartment building, and all buildings over 10,000 square feet.
