The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced a list of winners of the $240 million Inflation Reduction Act grants aimed at “adopting and implementing the latest energy-efficient or innovative building codes.”
Evanston was one of 19 applicants nationwide to receive federal funding for the program. According to a press release from TuesdayThe city will receive $10.7 million to “develop, adopt and implement a building performance standard that reduces building emissions while ensuring equitable decision-making, continued affordability, workforce development opportunities and energy cost savings.”
The money will go towards the development and implementation of a Regulation on healthy buildingswhich is already being developed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Building Electrification Working Group. In a social media post, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky celebrated the award of the grant, saying it will “make the electric grid more resilient” and “help save lives during climate-related extreme temperatures.”
As proposed, this ordinance would establish a “building performance standard” for buildings larger than 20,000 square feet, meaning the project’s primary goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy use at Evanston’s largest buildings.
Through his Climate Action and Resilience PlanEvanston has already committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Part of the plan also includes reducing building energy use by 50% compared to the 2005 baseline, so the city’s buildings play an important role in helping Evanston achieve its sustainability goals.
According to the Institute for Market TransformationBuildings are responsible for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions nationwide, and that number is rising in urban areas as well. In New York City, for example, buildings are responsible for 70% of emissions.
Although the exact wording and benchmarks included remain to be seen, a healthy buildings regulation would likely set deadlines for buildings 20,000 square feet or larger to achieve certain levels of energy and water use and emissions reduction, among other things.
Interestingly, Mayor Daniel Biss touted the proposed ordinance when he announced his Re-election campaignwhich he announced on Tuesday, the same day the city received that federal grant. In an email to supporters, Biss said one of his goals in rewriting the city’s zoning code and master plan this year – an initiative called Imagine Evanston 2045 – is intended to put an end to the city’s tradition of “making it difficult to build energy-efficient housing units.”
He also called the Healthy Buildings Ordinance “the single most important step the city needs to take on climate change.”
