Ordinance 71132

Summary

A. The overall purpose and/or reasons for the bill. The purpose of the Building Energy Performance Standard (BEPS) bill is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, drive energy efficiency improvements in its buildings, and boost its economic growth and job creation within the City of St Louis. This bill builds upon the Energy Awareness Ordinance passed in 2017, which requires buildings that are 50,000 square feet and above to report energy and water data annually to the City. The BEPS aligns with the City’s climate goals and its Pathways to 100% Clean Energy report which recommends a BEPS. Pursuing this policy also aligns with the City’s goals in making significant carbon reductions and providing leadership to other cities throughout the American Cities Climate Challenge. B. What the bill will do. St. Louis’ BEPS will require large commercial, multi-family, institutional, and municipal buildings (50,000 sq. ft. and above) to reduce energy use in order to meet an energy performance standard by May 2025, which will be reviewed and updated every four years. Performance standards will be set by the Building Energy Improvement Board and measured in the amount of energy used per square foot at the building (site energy use intensity or EUI) and based on building type. Building owners will be required to comply with standards using a free, online ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. This bill will include the creation of a new Office of Building Performance to oversee the implementation, compliance and enforcement of the existing Building Energy Awareness ordinance (#70474), BEPS, and any future ordinances related to building energy improvement and performance. C. The main components of the bill and significant provisions. The bill creates a Building Energy Improvement Board with representation from the building industry, utilities, and building owners. The board’s role is three-fold: to oversee a rulemaking process that sets and updates performance standards; to advise, to oversee implementation of the ordinance; and to administer a process for creating alternative compliance methods for buildings unable to meet the required standards. D. The impact the bill will have to the community Passage of this bill will have a positive impact on both economic growth and environmental impact. The Building Division – working with the Board, local utilities, and other partners – will provide as many resources as possible to assist building owners with compliance, including educational opportunities, continued one-on-one assistance with benchmarking, and financial and other resources.

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