Atlanta's Framework for Energy Efficiency
The city of Atlanta is making significant strides in transforming its urban landscape through comprehensive energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives. This transformation is driven by a robust framework of local, state, and federal policies designed to promote sustainable building practices, reduce energy consumption, and enhance environmental stewardship. Understanding the regulatory landscape is crucial for stakeholders in the building sector, including developers, asset managers, facility managers, and energy efficiency consultants to ensure compliance with energy codes, optimize building performance, and capitalize on incentives for sustainable practices.
Here is a look at some of the key local policies and initiatives shaping Atlanta's approach to energy management, their impact on the building sector, and future policy directions.
Policies and Regulations
Energy Benchmarking and Audits
According to the Atlanta Commercial Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance (CBEEO), Atlanta requires all commercial and multifamily buildings over 25,000 square feet and all municipal buildings to track and report their annual energy use.
Building owners must conduct an ASHRAE Level II Energy Audit and submit their energy and water data annually once every 10 years. The city provides resources and training to support compliance with these requirements. For more information, refer to this link.
LEED Certification Requirements for Municipal Buildings
Atlanta mandates that all major renovations and new construction of municipal buildings over 5,000 square feet must obtain LEED New Construction Silver Certification or greater. Additionally, all existing City-owned facilities larger than 25,000 square feet are required to gain the LEED Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED O+M) Certification. For more information, refer to this link.
This policy helps ensure that public buildings set an example for sustainability and energy efficiency.
Atlanta’s Clean Energy Plan
Atlanta's Clean Energy Plan, adopted in 2017, aims to transition the city to 100% clean energy by 2035 for municipal operations and by 2050 citywide. The plan includes various initiatives to improve building energy efficiency, such as retrofit strategies, renewable energy production, electrification, Energy saving performance contract, benchmarking and routine energy and water audits.
The Atlanta’s Clean Energy Plan aligns with the goals of LEED and WELL certifications by promoting energy efficiency, health and environmental sustainability in buildings. The plan targets a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and promotes the use of clean energy sources.
Incentives
Tax Credits and Rebates:
Atlanta offers various tax credits and rebates to encourage green building practices. For example, the Home Efficiency Rebates (HER) provide rebates ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 for individual households and up to $400,000 for multifamily buildings for energy efficiency retrofits.
In addition, the Federal Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction, commonly known as Section 179D, is a significant tax incentive aimed at promoting energy efficiency in commercial buildings. This deduction allows building owners and designers to receive tax benefits for implementing energy-efficient improvements. This helps reduce the overall tax liability for building owners and designers, providing significant financial incentives to invest in energy efficiency.
PACE Financing:
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing is available in Atlanta to help property owners finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. This financing mechanism allows building owners to pay for improvements over time through their property tax bills.
PACE financing provides low-cost, long-term financing for eligible energy efficiency improvements, including solar panels, HVAC systems, and water conservation measures.
Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge:
The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge is a leading initiative as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Better Buildings Challenge Program. This program aims to improve energy and water efficiency in commercial buildings across Atlanta. This program encourages building owners to commit to reducing energy and water consumption by 20% by 2020. Participants, which include building owners and managers, commit to tracking their energy and water usage, implementing efficiency measures, and sharing their progress publicly. The program not only helps reduce utility costs and environmental impact but also drives economic growth and job creation in the energy efficiency sector.
Future Directions and Potential Changes
Looking ahead, several trends and potential changes in the regulatory landscape could further shape Atlanta's approach to energy management:
Stricter Energy Codes: Atlanta currently adopts ASHRAE 90.1 2013 version while the most updated ASHRAE 90.1 energy code is version 2019. Future updates to the Georgia Energy Code will include much stricter requirements for new and existing buildings, pushing the industry towards higher standards of energy efficiency.
Increased Focus on Resilience: As climate change continues to impact weather patterns specially in the southern regions of the United States, there will be a greater emphasis on building resilience toward extreme climate and consequences of global warming, with policies encouraging the adoption of technologies and practices that enhance the ability to withstand extreme weather events.
Integration of Smart Technologies: The growing adoption of smart building technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) could lead to new regulations and incentives promoting the use of data-driven solutions for energy management and optimization.
How Joulea Can Help
Joulea offers cutting-edge tools and services that align perfectly with the current policies and future directions of Atlanta's regulatory framework. By providing accurate and comprehensive energy performance data, Joulea helps building owners and managers comply with local and state energy efficiency regulations. Our advanced energy forecasting tools and autonomous drone technology enable precise building diagnostics, optimizing energy use and enhancing the effectiveness of retrofits. Joulea's solutions not only support compliance with existing incentives and programs but also prepare buildings for future regulatory changes, ensuring continuous improvement in energy performance and sustainability.
Sources
Atlanta Building Benchmarking - https://atlantabuildingbenchmarking.wordpress.com/audit
City of Atlanta, 2017 - https://www.atlantaga.gov/Home/Components/News/News/7103/
GEFA, 2024 - https://gefa.georgia.gov/energy-programs/home-energy-rebate-programs