Experts tell Columbus committee smart surfaces and performance standards cut heat, flood risk and energy costs

Council Member Weiss introduced the hearing’s sustainable‑building segment and invited national and out‑of‑state guests to share tools and local experience on cooling, stormwater and building performance policy.

Bill Updike, program manager for the Smart Surfaces Coalition, described the coalition’s Cities for Smart Surfaces program and its geospatial and benefit‑cost tools. “The urban heat island effect … can lead to upwards of 5 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit hotter temperatures in urban areas versus rural areas,” Updike said, and he emphasized that surface strategies can deliver measurable energy, health and stormwater benefits. Updike summarized modeled benefits across 10 metro areas including billions of dollars in avoided costs for infrastructure, health and energy over a 25‑year horizon and described a publicly available Smart Surfaces policy tracker that curates nearly 2,000 policies nationwide.

Courtney Anderson, director of Buildings and Homes for the City and County of Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resilience (CASR), and Derek Valente, Denver’s building performance program administrator, presented Denver’s experience implementing building performance and energy‑code changes. Anderson said Denver’s 2022 energy‑code amendments…