Green Building Feebate

In Oregon, the Portland City Council has developed a feebate policy to improve the environmental performance of buildings.

The proposed policy seeks to cut carbon emissions from buildings, reduce energy costs for tenants and homeowners and accelerate the growth of local green jobs.

The proposed policy will provide incentives and technical assistance for the use of green building practices.

The policy would begin to be implemented in phases starting in 2010. It includes the following components to encourage energy efficiency, sustainable site development and material use, waste reduction, water conservation, and improved indoor environmental quality:

• New commercial buildings larger than 20,000 square feet would receive a reward payment if they achieve a high performance green building certification, such as LEED Gold or Platinum, or would qualify for a fee waiver by meeting LEED Silver certification. Projects that build to the minimum Oregon code would pay a one-time fee to offset emissions from future operations.

• Existing commercial buildings larger than 20,000 square feet would be required to participate in a reporting program to assess water use, indoor environmental quality and building characteristics. Owners also would need to identify whether the building qualifies for Portland’s Clean River Rewards incentive for stormwater management.

• For new residential projects, a performance target would be set for the percentage of homes to be built to green building standards. If the target is met, no new regulations would be enacted. If the target is not met, a feebate program similar to that for new commercial buildings would be established.

• Existing residential buildings would have no new requirements. City staff are currently developing options to make it easier to finance home upgrades.

Links:
City of Portland Proposed High Performance Green Building Policy - general information
City of Portland Proposed High Performance Green Building Policy - background and policy details
City of Portland Proposed High Performance Green Building Policy - Fact Sheet
Economic Assessment Report
City of Portland Press Release