State and local governments across the country are adopting building performance standards (BPS), and the pace of adoption for such standards will only accelerate as jurisdictions look to cut greenhouse gas emissions, boost building energy efficiency, and lower energy use. In 2023, 10 local jurisdictions across the U.S. launched BPS policies, including New Jersey, California, Colorado, Maryland, and Minnesota.

The overall consensus among many in the building industry is that the weak link following adoption is implementation. This is where training and educating building owners and contractors is paramount. Identifying resources to help with this effort is critical, so we've compiled a list of helpful resources offered by the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office.

Here are four good resources for BPS implementation education:

• The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewables will host a webinar on Feb. 15 to outline best practices, tools, and financial incentives to support BSP implementation. To register for this webinar, click here.
• DOE Audit Template Tool - As BPS are adopted by an increasing number of jurisdictions nationwide, building energy audits will become more widely used as part of BPS compliance. Standardizing and streamlining the audit documentation process can help BPS program managers achieve consistency in compliance and help individual building managers document and implement building energy efficiency improvements. The audit template is an easy-to-use web-based tool developed by DOE for collecting and validating energy audit data and can be customized to each jurisdiction's needs.
• Implementation and Administration of Building Performance Standards guide – This guide is tailored for jurisdictions that are ready to learn how to implement and administer newly enacted BPS and includes best practices from jurisdictions that are at the forefront of BPS implementation efforts (because why not learn from those on the leading edge?)
• Aligning Building Performance Standards and Energy Codes – Unlike building energy codes, which set minimum requirements for energy-efficient buildings at the time of construction, a BPS is designed to make retrofit existing buildings meet specific performance levels over their lifetime. Buildings constructed and occupied within the years preceding, during, or immediately after the adoption of a BPS may be compliant with energy code, but unable to meet BPS targets, potentially requiring further interventions to bring the building in compliance with BPS. This piece details how to align the energy code requirements and building performance standard during the development phase of the BPS.

These are just a few of the resources available to those who are interested in BPS implementation education. For the full BPS library of resources available from DOE's EERE office, click here.