Great News! BERDO (Building Emission Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance) was passed 23-0 by City Council last night. This ordinance requires owners of commercial buildings (including institutional and industrial buildings) over 20,000 square feet to measure their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieve progressively stricter emission standards over time. It also requires owners of residential buildings with more than 20,000 square feet of floor space to report their energy use for but not to reduce their GHG emissions.
Read the coverage on BERDO at last night’s City Council meeting by the Newton Beacon.
Why is this ordinance an important part of Newton’s efforts to mitigate climate change?
Newton has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero by 2050. Large existing buildings (Commercial) account for 23% of our total GHG emissions. The residential buildings to be included in BERDO account for 5% more. Commercial buildings alone account for 167K metric tons of CO2/year. In order to meet our goal of reducing GHG emissions, large buildings will need to move away from oil and gas powered heating, hot water, and cooking equipment. As our electric grid becomes increasingly powered by renewable energy, the newer technologies for heating, cooling and water heating that are powered by electricity will bring our GHG emissions down to zero.
Recently on Twitter