City of Houston - Green Building Policy for Municipal Buildings

Summary

In 2022, the Houston City Council adopted the Municipal Building Decarbonization and Benchmarking Policy, requiring that city buildings target a 5% year-over-year reduction in electric power and natural gas consumption. This goal will be accomplished by implementing cost-effective measures to increase energy efficiency and decrease natural gas and other fossil fuel reliance through preventative maintenance, capital
improvement projects, and other measures. AP 3-41 outlines further guidance for energy performance and energy use intensity targets for existing city buildings,  new or replacement facilities, and major renovations. Energy use intensity (EUI) targets for electric power by building type include:

• Public Service.....90 kBtu/sq. ft.
• Police...................60 kBtu/sq. ft.
• Office...................100 kBtu/sq. ft.
• Airports...............5% reduction annually, 110 kBtu/sq. ft. baseline
• Other...................90 kBtu/sq. ft.

Additionally, AP 3-41 requires that new or replacement facilities and major renovation demonstrate, via energy modeling, 18% - 30%  in energy savings.

History

In June 2004, the Houston City Council passed a resolution requiring adherence to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines in the construction or renovation of municipal buildings with more than 10,000 square feet of occupied space. The resolution sets no definitive certification requirement, instead requiring capital improvement projects to follow LEED principles "to the greatest extent practical and reasonable." The general target rating for the program is LEED Silver certification. Buildings owned, managed, or constructed by the Houston Airport System Department are exempt from the resolution.