In this series, we’re exploring state and local building efficiency regulations to give you a bird’s-eye view of the policies that may impact your portfolio.

From the Liberty Bell to incredible cheese steaks, Philadelphia has something to offer everyone. And believe it or not, energy efficiency is one of them! The City of Brotherly Love has adopted comprehensive plans to not only clean up its grid but also reduce energy consumption from its buildings – some of which boast hundreds of years of historical significance. 

One such effort is the city’s Municipal Energy Master Plan, which establishes a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. To meet these targets, the city must reduce per capita emissions 2.17% annually. And it is reportedly on track to do so; as of 2019, the city has achieved a 39% reduction in GHG emissions (a reduction from 219,306 MTCO2e to 133,527 MTCO2e). 

Additionally, Philadelphia makes all of its emissions data publicly available via its Municipal Energy Master Plan Dashboard.  In 2019, the city expanded its scope outside of municipal buildings by targeting the largest buildings in the city (50,000 square feet or more) and established a “Building Energy Performance Policy” (see below for more info).

In addition to setting lofty energy efficiency goals, Philadelphia also positions itself as a thought leader in building efficiency. It is the home of the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation (CBEI), a collaboration between major research universities, global industrial firms, and national laboratories aiming to develop and demonstrate solutions for 50% energy reduction in existing buildings by 2030. 

We’ve compiled the key building energy requirements, policies, and plans for Philadelphia. For more information on voluntary incentive programs throughout Pennsylvania, please see the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.  

Learn more about how Aquicore makes it easy to collect the energy data needed to comply with local, city, and state benchmarking regulations and some incentive programs.

Key Sources:

• https://database.aceee.org/policies-targeting-existing-buildings
• https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/program-administrators/state-and-local-governments/see-federal-state-and-local-benchmarking-policies
• https://www.dsireusa.org/
• https://www.ncsl.org/research/energy/energy-legislation-tracking-database.aspx