Building Energy Reporting Comes To Boston (Almost)

Today, Mayor Menino forwarded to the Boston City Council proposed amendments to the City of Boston Code that would require owners of many city buildings to report their energy and water use annually. That information would then be made available to the public – presumably so that the market can work its magic and informed consumers can put pressure on building owners to increase the efficiency of their buildings.

Key aspects of the proposal include the following:

• Non-residential buildings of at least 50,000 square feet would be required to report beginning in 2014.  Non-residential buildings of at least 25,000 square feet would be required to report beginning in 2016.

• Residential buildings of at least 50 units or 50,000 square feet would be required to report beginning in 2015.  Residential buildings of at least 25 units or 25,000 square feet would be required to report beginning in 2017.