What are Building Performance Standards (BPS)?
Building Performance Standards create energy performance targets, such as specific reductions in energy use or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, for buildings to meet after a set amount of time. These standards, usually preceded by a benchmarking program that tracks building energy use, help drive energy efficiency improvements and beneficial electrification investments that save energy and money, and reduce GHG pollution from buildings over time.
The "Energy Performance for Buildings" statute (referred to as House Bill 21-1286) established sector-wide emission reduction targets of 7% by 2026 and 20% by 2030 from a 2021 energy use. In order to achieve these GHG emissions reduction targets from buildings, the State created building performance standards that apply to all commercial, multifamily, and public buildings 50,000 square feet and larger.
Building Performance Standards Task Force Recommendations
House Bill 21-1286 directed CEO to convene a Task Force to develop recommendations for the State’s building performance standards (BPS) to achieve the statutory GHG emissions reduction targets. These GHG emissions reductions are to be collectively met by all buildings covered by this statute (referred to as ‘covered buildings’ or ‘sector’).
CEO submitted the final Task Force recommendations for statewide building performance standards to the Governor, General Assembly, and Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) on October 1, 2022. Please see this presentation for more information and background on these recommendations.
When will the building performance standards be finalized?
The Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) will promulgate the final rules for the State’s building performance standards (BPS) no later than June 1, 2023. CEO will notify building owners when these rules are finalized and more guidance is available. Colorado building owners do not need to take any action toward meeting the building performance standards until they go into effect after June 2023.
The BPS rulemaking (referred to as Regulation 28) is scheduled before the AQCC on May 16-19, 2023 and materials for this proceeding are available through the Commission's website. For more information on the AQCC rulemaking processes, please visit cdphe.colorado.gov/aqcc.
BPS Task Force Members
CEO convened a Task Force of 18 members that represented diverse interests from across Colorado and the building sector, including building owners, building operators, architects, engineers, trade organizations, utilities, local government representatives, and environmental groups. Members of the Task Force were appointed by the Director of CEO from a pool of applicants, as directed by HB 21-1286. See here for the full list of Task Force members.
BPS Task Force Meeting Materials
Task Force members met monthly from September 2021 through September 2022. To comply with Open Meeting laws, all meetings and deliberations were recorded and live-streamed. All Task Force meeting materials are available here and recordings of meetings are available on CEO’s YouTube channel.
If you have any questions about building performance standards or the Task Force process, please email Crystal Egelkamp, crystal.egelkamp@state.co.us.