Page 63 - Green Builder Magazine Sept-Oct 2017

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CODE ARENA

The Latest Rules, Regulations and Codes Impacting Sustainable Construction
Salt Lake City gears up for new carbon footprint plan

N LATE AUGUST, the Salt Lake City Council voted in favor of
the Energy Benchmarking & Transparency Ordinance. Pro-
posed by Mayor Jackie Biskupski and the City’s sustainability
department, the ordinance looks to cut energy costs, improve
Ilocal air quality, and reduce the city’s carbon footprint.
This ordinance requires all commercial buildings above 25,000
square feet to benchmark and report their energy consumption
to Salt Lake City on an annual basis using the free online Energy
Star Portfolio Manager software (with automation services
made possible through local utilities Rocky Mountain Power
and Dominion Energy). To minimize the burden on buildings, CREDIT: KEN LUND/FLICKR
the ordinance will roll out over a staggered timeline:
■ Salt Lake City municipal buildings benchmark and report
■
their Energy Star score in 2018. (The City has already started A steady buildup. Salt Lake City lawmakers recently passed an
benchmarking.) energy consumption-based building ordinance to cut energy
■ Commercial buildings 50,000 square feet and larger costs, improve air quality and reduce the city’s carbon footprint.
■
benchmark and report in May 2019 with a score of 75 and higher) will automatically be a contender
■ Commercial buildings 25,000 square feet and larger at the annual Skyline Challenge Awards in July 2018, an event
■
benchmark and report in May 2020 that honors the top energy efficiency leaders in Utah.
According to the Salt Lake Sustainability Department (SLSD), In addition to the energy efficiency resources available from
the ordinance will save local building owners $15.8 million in local utilities, the ordinance will also create a resource center,
annual energy costs and eliminate more than 29 tons of criteria housed in the SLSD, to help building managers understand the
pollutants from Salt Lake City’s air annually. range of tools and incentives available to voluntarily upgrade
equipment to reduce costs and prevent pollution.
MORE THAN MANDATORY BUILDING PRACTICES
The new requirement is also supported by incentives and IT TOOK A WHILE, BUT...
technical assistance. Energy Star-certifiable buildings (those The elongated time period for passage is due in part to push back
from legislators, businesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. The ordinance, as originally proposed, would
have published the energy scores of all buildings. It also would
have required improvements. Places of worship and tax-exempt
buildings were also able to successfully lobby for exemption
from the benchmarking requirement.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the Building Owners
and Managers Association of Utah (BOMA) was involved with
the legislative process but ultimately remained opposed to the
ordinance, staying consistent with its nationwide opposition
to such requirements. There is also some concern that the state
legislature will nullify this ordinance.
Meanwhile, the City of Salt Lake is moving forward with
this increasingly utilized measurement methodology. “This
ordinance requires certain buildings to undertake mandatory
measurement of their energy use and report it to the City,” says
CREDIT: DOUG KERR/FLICKR SLSD Director Vicki Bennett. “That is all. It’s then up to building
owners and managers to decide if they want to make voluntary
energy efficiency improvements that will save them money. We

A steady buildup. Salt Lake City lawmakers recently passed an think they will after seeing the dollars and cents they’ll save.” GB
energy consumption-based building ordinance to cut energy For more info on the ordinance, please visit www.slcgreen.com/
costs, improve air quality and reduce the city’s carbon footprint. elevatebuildings.

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