Philly Take Steps to Improve Big Buildings' Energy Efficiency

Cutting Down Buildings’ Energy Use

Pop quiz: What’s the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Philly? If you said cars — wrong! The answer is our buildings — which, thanks to inefficient heating and electrical systems, generate even more bad stuff. In fact, buildings, and the regional electricity grid that powers them, are responsible for 74 percent of Philadelphia’s carbon footprint.

A report was released this past Tuesday that detailed a 12% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions from buildings that report their energy and water usage as part of a benchmarking law passed by city council in 2012. Now, Mayor Jim Kenney has signed a bill that aims to continue that trend. The legislation mandates that all large buildings must submit a certification of high energy performance to the city’s Office of Sustainability — or conduct tune-ups to bring their existing energy systems “up to a state of good repair.” Building owners who violate the law will be subject to a fine of $2,000, and for each day that the owner fails to file the required report or take a required action, they will be fined an additional $500.

“The science is clear,” Kenney said. “We need to act faster and with more urgency to respond to the global climate emergency and avoid catastrophic climate change.”

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