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Building Performance Standards

Building Performance Standards (BPS) are outcome-based policies and laws aimed at reducing the carbon impact of the built environment by requiring existing buildings to meet energy and/or greenhouse gas emissions-based performance targets. When combined with building codes that regulate performance in specific instances like new construction or major renovations, BPS are powerful policy tools that provide a lifecycle approach to building performance and can empower state and local governments to deliver on their energy and carbon goals for the building sector.

Map of State and Local Adoption of Building Performance Standards

Figure 1. The BPS map highlights the current status of BPS adoption at the state and local level across the U.S. Jurisdictions are colored according to their BPS adoption status and selected performance metric (e.g., emissions or energy). Click on the figure to access an interactive version of this map on BECP's Tableau Public page.

BPS Technical Assistance

The Building Technologies Office, through the Building Energy Codes Program, is providing Technical Assistance to jurisdictions interested in exploring BPS programs. All formal technical assistance requests must be made by using the Technical Assistance for BPS form. Technical Assistance on BPS may take the form of:

  • Building stock analyses, including analysis of energy and emission impacts associated with BPS adoption
  • Performance target-setting and trajectories
  • Measure and technology prioritization and packaging
  • Cost-effectiveness analyses
  • Implementation and compliance support, including resources and tools

Organizations interested in BPS are encouraged to review the general resources, implementation, and financing information provided in the LEARN MORE section on this page. The information contained in these pages includes:

  • Implementation: A comprehensive suite of tools developed by the U.S. Department of Energy for accessing, managing, analyzing, and sharing building energy data.
  • Resources: A list of published resources that provide an overview of BPS policy components and the process for establishing these types of policies.
  • Financing: A list of financing resources available to state and local governments seeking to fund their BPS programming and support building owners and operators with compliance.