Boston’s iconic John Hancock Tower.
We’ve explored NYC’s groundbreaking Climate Mobilization Act, and now it’s time to turn to Boston’s Climate Action Plan.
Carbon neutral by 2050
Boston’s Mayor Walsh set a goal of making Boston carbon neutral by 2050. Buildings and transportation make up 99 percent of Boston’s carbon emissions, and the Climate Action Plan primarily focuses on these carbon sources.
For buildings, new construction is transitioning to zero-net carbon.
For existing buildings, which contribute more than 70 percent of Boston’s carbon emissions, the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) has two goals:
1. Make building owners, tenants, and other stakeholder more aware of their energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions through public annual reporting.
2. Reduce carbon emissions through audits and actions every five years.
Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO)
Like New York City, certain building types and sizes account for the greatest amount of carbon pollution, and are regulated under the City’s ordinance:
Non-residential buildings 35,000 square feet or larger.
Residential buildings 35,000 square feet or larger or with 35 or more units.
Any parcel with multiple buildings that sum to 100,000 square feet or 100 units.
As of 2019, these buildings must also conduct an energy assessment or take an energy action every five years.
The Climate Action Plan requires either an improvement in the regulated building’s Energy Star rating by at least 15 points or a reduction of at least 15 percent of the building’s annual:
Energy usage.
Energy use intensity.
Greenhouse gas emissions.
Greenhouse gas intensity.
The reduction’s benchmark is based on the annual reporting over the previous five years.
Building owners can achieve the required reduction through:
Energy efficiency improvements.
On-site renewable energy projects or off-site renewable energy purchases.
Looking up from the Freedom Trail.
Where do windows fit in?
High performance windows, even for landmarked buildings, can help meet the 15 percent reduction in energy usage or a 15-point increase in the Energy Star rating. Our New England Team, together with our manufacturing partners, can create bespoke high performance windows for virtually any application, including net-zero new construction projects.