Building Performance Standards Rule
OVERVIEW
To address climate change, Colorado statute set goals to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) across the state 26% by 2025, 50% by 2030, and 90% by 2050 (from 2005 levels). Buildings are the fourth largest source of GHGs, so improving buildings so they use less energy is an important way to help reach these goals.
House Bill 21-1286 requires Colorado’s buildings to reduce GHGs by 7% by 2026, and 20% by 2030, below 2021 levels. To help meet these goals, the Air Pollution Control Division plans to propose a rule to create building performance standards to the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) January 2023, with a rulemaking hearing expected in August 2023 (previously May 2023). If approved, this rule would go into effect in 2023 and would apply to commercial, multifamily and public buildings 50,000 square feet or larger. Building owners would have to report how much energy they use every year to the Colorado Energy Office, using a free online tool called ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. They would also have to find ways to reduce how much energy their buildings use to help meet the GHG targets.
Building performance standards are policies that require building owners to make their buildings more energy-efficient over time. |
PURPOSE
The goal of this rule is to help Colorado’s buildings:
- use less energy
- reduce energy costs, and
- decrease GHGs.
House Bill 21-1286 also called for the creation of an 18-member task force to make recommendations for how the building performance standards should be written. These recommendations are available here and are being considered as the rule is developed and considered for adoption.
GET INVOLVED
Here are some ways you can participate in this rulemaking process:
- Attend a public meeting to learn more and share your ideas. Find the latest public input opportunities on our webpage.
- Share your ideas and concerns by filling out this comment form (Note all comments are publicly available but your contact information will not be posted.)
- Stay up-to-date on this rulemaking and other ways the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air quality issues by signing up for email updates.
- Provide input to the AQCC before or during its rulemaking hearing. To learn more, visit https://cdphe.colorado.gov/aqcc.