by Brooks Rainwater
Director, AIA Local Relations

Summary: Washington, D.C.’s new Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008 aims to promote energy-use disclosure by commercial office building owners through the use of Energy Star benchmarking scores, making the nation’s capital the first city in the country to require building owners to provide these scores. This proposal was approved unanimously by the city council, and passage is expected soon with Mayor Adrian Fenty’s signature.

Good for sparking sustainable design
Energy benchmarking through the use of an Energy Star efficiency score will allow building tenants to make well-informed decisions based on energy efficiency measures when they lease space in the city. The law’s transparency also will lead to a more open property market, in which the total price of buildings, including projected energy demand, can now be considered.

Beginning in 2010, the new law will require commercial property owners to create an energy efficiency “score” through the use of Energy Star’s free online tool, and submit it to the District Department of the Environment. The measure will not require buildings to actually earn the Energy Star ranking, but rather—through greater disclosure—will help meet the market-based demand for more energy-efficient buildings. The measure will be fully phased in through 2013, when all buildings greater than 50,000 square feet will be required to comply.

Leading community
Washington, D.C., is proving itself as a green building leader by being first on a number of sustainability policies now replicated by other cities across America. For instance, the Green Building Act of 2006 redefined the new commercial building market in the city, resulting in green buildings now going up with increasing frequency across the nation’s capital.

AIA Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer Chris McEntee, in a recent letter of support to the D.C. City Council commented: “This Act, combined with earlier positive steps taken on sustainability, such as the Green Building Act of 2006, reinforces Washington, D.C’.s leadership on green building policy and will help move us toward a greener future.”

McEntee continued: “The actions that you have taken align closely with the AIA’s goal of a carbon neutral, sustainable built environment. As green building is the future of the design/building industry, proactive policy choices like those that you are making are greatly helping to positively transform the built environment of our nation’s capital.”