The U.S. government is looking to its own buildings as a source for cutting carbon emissions with a new energy and climate performance standard. Additionally, federal officials announced a proposed rule that would eliminate energy-related emissions from new and renovated federal buildings.
The initiatives are aimed at achieving President Joe Biden’s goal of net-zero emissions from federal buildings by 2045, said Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The newly announced performance standard for existing federal buildings would require federal agencies to eliminate energy use and electrify equipment and appliances in 30% of their building space by 2030, Mallory said. It would impact 300,000 buildings. Achieving the standard would require a combination of electrification with deep energy retrofits, energy and water use reductions and facility improvements to maximize cost efficiency.