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Board weighs broader building-performance approaches rather than industry-specific offsets
Summary
Board members and staff discussed moving from an industry-specific offset to broader, facility-neutral measures such as the building performance standard and productivity-based metrics for large users like data centers and BAE; staff said broader approaches are a preferred route to drive energy reductions.
Board members raised the possibility of replacing or supplementing an industry-specific offset with a facility-neutral approach. A committee member asked whether council or future policymakers might prefer a more user-neutral program; Carolyn Elam responded that the city is considering building performance standards applied broadly and noted nuances of legal authority for discretionary licensing versus broad regulations.
Staff and board discussed examples including data centers and large industrial users; Elam cited work with BAE (formerly Ball Aerospace) where productivity metrics, rather than simple energy-per-square-foot, better capture efficiency improvements. Board members suggested pairing any fees or taxes with clear benefits and cooperative support so businesses can see direct returns from participation.
