Building performance standards: the deadlines owners face next
A building performance standard sets an energy or emissions target that existing buildings must meet over time, with penalties for missing it. Several US cities and states now run one. Aqueduct tracks each building against its local target with metered energy, all year.
Who they apply to
Each law sets its own size threshold. Boston's BERDO covers non-residential buildings of 20,000 sq ft or more and residential buildings with 15 or more units. New York's Local Law 97 has its own page.
The National BPS Coalition, launched in 2022, lists 49 state and local governments committed to adopting or implementing standards. That is a membership count, not a count of laws in force.
What four programs require
From each program's official pages, October 2026. Requirements change; check the current rules for your building.
| Requirement | What it asks for | Data Aqueduct supplies |
|---|---|---|
| Washington State, Tier 1 | Meet a state energy use intensity target, with an energy management plan and an O&M program, on a five year cycle. | Weather-normalized EUI per building, tracked monthly against the target. |
| Boston BERDO | Annual energy and water reporting; third-party verification in set years; emissions standards from 2025 or 2030, net zero by 2050. | Metered energy and water per building, ready for the verifier. |
| Washington DC BEPS | Meet the standard set for Cycle 1 by 31 December 2026, or follow a compliance pathway. | Portfolio Manager inputs by fuel, with progress toward the standard. |
| Energize Denver | Annual benchmarking from 5,000 sq ft, with performance targets for larger buildings. | Monthly energy by fuel per building. |
Dates and penalties
First Washington State Tier 1 deadline, for buildings over 220,000 sq ft; 90,000 sq ft follows in 2027.
Source: Washington State Department of CommerceWashington State penalty on top of up to $5,000 for a Tier 1 building that misses its requirements.
Source: Washington State Department of CommerceDC BEPS end-of-cycle reporting for Cycle 1, which closes 31 December 2026.
Source: DC DOEERelated standards
sites in 21 countries run on Aqueduct.
and 9 clinics in one of India’s top hospital chains.
US airport running water intelligence on Aqueduct.
of commercial real estate under Aqueduct.
FMCG manufacturing campus.
operations run on Aqueduct.
Related
Common questions
By location and size. Each program publishes a covered buildings list or a lookup; start there, then confirm the target for your property type. Aqueduct holds floor area, use type and fuel for each building, so one portfolio can be mapped against several programs.
Because the deadline judges a full year. Monthly tracking shows whether a building is on course while there is still time to fix schedules, faults or simultaneous heating and cooling.
Yes. The metered inputs are the same everywhere: energy by fuel, floor area and use type, sometimes with water. Only the target, the normalization and the reporting format differ, so Aqueduct keeps one record per building and exports it in each program's shape.
It depends on the program. Some charge per square foot or per ton over the limit, and others let owners follow an alternative compliance pathway with an approved plan. Monthly tracking in Aqueduct shows the size of the gap early, so the owner can choose a path with time to act. See Local Law 97.
See Aqueduct on your own facility.
Bring a site, a utility bill or a question. We will show you where the loss is.