The Council finds the following:
(a) Climate change disproportionally harms BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities.
(b) Bloomington's Energy Action Plan outlines a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% by 2035.
(c) Commercial and
buildings account for 70% of the city's
-related greenhouse gas emissions.
(d) Improving existing buildings through
efficiency upgrades is one of the most cost-effective ways to achieve the city's greenhouse gas emission goal.
(e) Over $160 million is spent annually on electricity and natural gas in buildings within the City of Bloomington.
(f) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average building wastes 30% of the
it consumes due to inefficiencies.
(g)
tracking, known as benchmarking, gives building owners and occupants insight into their building's
performance and helps identify opportunities to reduce cost and waste.
(h) Public sharing of benchmarking data drives the market toward more efficient buildings.
(Ord. 2021-30, passed 9-13-2021)