Building Performance Standards

Fighting climate change means taking serious steps to reduce carbon emissions generated by buildings.

Understanding this, leading-edge states and local governments are shifting to mandatory building performance policies. The most powerful of these is a building performance standard (BPS).

What is a Building Performance Standard?

A BPS policy is a set of standards designed to reduce carbon emissions in buildings by improving energy, gas and water use, and peak demand. These standards become stricter over time, driving continuous, long-term improvement in the building stock, and complementing building energy codes.

Defining a BPS

While all building performance standards share similar central components in how they are designed and implemented, for maximum impact and benefit, they should be customized for each jurisdiction and its community. To do this, IMT offers several comprehensive BPS design and implementation tools.

High-performance Building Hubs

What are the benefits of adopting a BPS?

Jurisdictions are looking to BPS because they are the most powerful and direct tool for driving improved performance in existing buildings. BPS can bring additional benefits to implementing jurisdictions by fueling local job creation, economic growth, achieving increased renewable energy share, and reducing energy costs.

Climate Change Resilience

BPS will reduce energy use in buildings by over 20%, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions by millions of tons annually.

Resilience Brief

Improving Communities

BPS can address a range of community priorities, including building energy use, carbon emissions, public health, resilience, and economic opportunity.

Housing Brief

Lower Bills, Better Air Quality

Owners can improve a building’s heating, cooling, and ventilation systems to use less energy, provide healthier air, increase comfort, and lower energy bills.

Air Quality Brief

Supporting Workforce Needs

Local workers and contractors benefit from new job opportunities, which can support an equitable clean energy transition.

Vendor Matchmaking

Snapshot of BPS Adoption Across the U.S.

IMT proudly supports the National Building Performance Standards Coalition launched by the White House in January 2022 and we work closely with all jurisdictions that have passed or are considering a BPS. See our resource collection for related maps, guides, and graphics.