Archived News Release: January 21, 2022 - Mayor Taylor today announced that Ann Arbor will continue to inclusively design and implement policies and programs that significantly improve building performance, drive investment into building retrofits and good-paying jobs that create healthier buildings and lower housing and energy costs. The news comes as Ann Arbor joined forces with state and local governments across the country in the National Building Performance Standard (BPS) Coalition, a collaboration launched by White House Council on Environmental Quality. Building performance standards paired with complementary programs and policies will enable us to meet our health, equity and climate goals.
“Buildings are an integral part of our community – they shape our city's design and form, and we spend over 90% of our time inside them. Here in Ann Arbor, buildings also account for over 65% of our community's climate pollution. That means we need to do everything in our power to ensure our buildings are safer, healthier, and more affordable for us and for the planet. That is why I'm delighted to join forces with the White House and other communities around the nation to advance initiatives that improve the sustainability and performance of our built environment," said Ann Arbor Mayor, Christopher Taylor.
Buildings are responsible for 2/3rds of Ann Arbor's carbon emissions. Upgrading and retrofitting buildings to increase clean energy sources and reduce overall energy use can dramatically reduce these harmful emissions. At the same time, energy retrofits and upgrades can be leveraged to concurrently improve a building's health and resilience for its occupants and surrounding community, while generating jobs and increased local economic investment. Through the Coalition, Ann Arbor commits to increasing community and local stakeholder engagement to co-design policies and programs to improve the performance of local buildings - with the goal of policies and/or new program development by Earth Day 2024.
“We are eager for the opportunity to support city and state leaders representing the vanguard of innovative climate policy, and joining this National Building Performance Standards Coalition. Members of this groundbreaking coalition will help drive new jobs to make existing buildings across the country more efficient, affordable, healthier and resilient, and will deliver equitable benefits across their jurisdictions," said Mark Chambers, Senior Director for Building Emissions and Community Resilience at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
In pursuing our commitments as a member of the National BPS Coalition, Ann Arbor will be able to leverage technical support via federal agencies including the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information about the coalition, visit www.nationalBPSCoalition.org
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