Emissions from commercial and residential buildings account for 42% of Portland’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and 53% including industrial buildings. Buildings emit greenhouse gases through the energy they use and the fuel they burn for cooking, heating, and cooling. In an effort to reduce emissions from buildings to achieve the City’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, the Portland City Council is considering a Climate and Health Standards policy.
This policy would:
- Require better tracking of emissions from buildings:
- Owners of large multifamily buildings will report their energy data to the City, allowing us to better understand building conditions across the city and track their emissions over time.
- Reduce carbon emissions to address climate change:
- Establishes building energy performance standards for large buildings (over 20,000 sq.ft.), requiring a 20% reduction in carbon emissions every 5 years starting in 2030.
- Provide transparency for tenants:
- Owners of rental housing with four or more attached units would be required to provide key energy cost and health information to prospective renters, such as how to access average and peak energy cost information, available assistance for utility bills, and unit cooling systems such as central AC, in the rental application.
- If the unit has a gas stove, the application will also include information about their health risks and strategies to mitigate them.
- Provide protections to mitigate displacement:
- Relocation assistance required - Relocation costs, including temporary lodging and transportation costs, must be provided to tenants.
- At least once every five years after 2030, the City Administrator will develop a carbon performance standards impact report, including potential displacement of tenants in residential covered buildings.
Send the City Council a message today voicing your support for climate action and tenant protections.
