The city of Chula Vista announced its commitment to inclusively implement building performance standards, complementary policies, and programs.
The news comes as Chula Vista joined forces with state and local governments across the country in the National Building Performance Standard (BPS) Coalition, a collaboration launched by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. This partnership aims to drive investment into building retrofits and good-paying jobs that create healthier buildings and lower housing and energy costs.
“Chula Vista joined the Building Performance Standards Coalition to highlight the important work that must be done by local jurisdictions to drive retrofits in existing buildings, as buildings account for roughly 40 percent of the energy consumed in the United States,” said Mayor Casillas Salas. “As a city that has focused on climate action since 2000 and was the first in San Diego County to adopt a Climate Action Plan, we are proud to be a leader and we look forward to learning more from other cities that are enacting similar regulations.”
Building performance standards paired with complementary programs and policies will enable the city to meet its health, equity, and climate goals. The coalition will aid Chula Vista in improving the quality of commercial and multi-family building stock, helping building owners save money through cost-effective energy efficiency measures, educating tenants and real estate professionals about the value of building energy performance.
These efforts will also reduce carbon emissions.
As a member of the National BPS Coalition, the city may leverage technical support via federal agencies, including the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Chula Vista City Council approved the Building Energy Saving Ordinance in early 2021, targeting buildings 20,000 square feet and above. Upgrading and retrofitting buildings to increase clean energy sources and reduce overall energy use can dramatically reduce harmful carbon emissions and improve local air quality.
“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.
For more information about Chula Vista’s Building Energy Saving Ordinance, go to https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/clean/benchmarking. For more information about the coalition, visit www.nationalBPSCoalition.org .
