DOE awards $240M to municipalities to improve building codes, energy efficiency

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $240 million to 19 state and local governments to implement energy efficient measures or establish innovative building codes.

The grants, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), seek to help residents and commercial building operators save money on their utility bills.

“State and local governments are taking on advanced, proven solutions that will help save energy bills while making their communities more resilient in the face of climate change – and the Biden-Harris Administration is helping them achieve these goals,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said.

Commercial and multi-family buildings, under an innovative code like a building performance standard, can cut energy costs and greenhouses gas emissions. Some 25 percent of commercial buildings fall under a building performance standard. Further, homes built to the latest building energy codes are nearly 40 percent more efficient than homes built 15 years ago.

The 19 municipalities awarded funding will receive direct technical assistance to support the adoption of traditional energy codes, zero energy codes, and building performance standards. The selected projects include:

• Cincinnati will lead a team that incudes Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton in receiving $10M to develop a building performance standard and create the Ohio High Performance Buildings Hub – a “one stop shop” connecting building owners to financing solutions and incentives along with the support, education, and training needed to comply with BPS targets.
• Kansas City will receive $9M to develop a building performance standard that will include a comprehensive public and stakeholder outreach and engagement plan, along with accompanying training, technical assistance, and implementation resources.
• Philadelphia will receive $19.8M to develop a building performance standard to maximize emissions reductions from large buildings, while providing support programs that will ensure equitable outcomes with high compliance rates.
• Milwaukee will receive $9M to develop a building performance standard informed by an existing data-driven buildings analysis program and engagement with local community stakeholders.
• Colorado will receive $20M to create a statewide program that will provide technical assistance and resources to directly respond to the needs identified by disadvantaged communities when complying with Colorado’s building performance standard.
• Hawaii will receive $18.1M to develop and adopt a building performance standard with an objective of simultaneously reducing costs and making resources, jobs, and training available in disadvantaged communities.
• Massachusetts will receive $19.9M to support implementation of building performance standards through direct technical support and capacity building among existing building trades programs in Justice40 communities and the creation of a Building Performance Exchange hub.
• New York City will receive $19.9M to support the successful implementation of the City’s building performance standard by increasing compliance support for multifamily buildings across the City, particularly those in disadvantaged communities.

A full list of selected projects can be found at Energy.gov .

Applications for the second round of funding will close on Sept. 13.

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