City of Houston - Green Building Policy for Municipal Buildings
This policy does not apply to homeowners—it governs energy standards only for City of Houston municipal buildings. Residents may benefit indirectly through reduced city operating costs and the city's commitment to energy benchmarking across 300+ public facilities.
Contractors working on Houston city building projects with over 10,000 square feet must design for LEED Silver certification at minimum and comply with energy use intensity (EUI) targets by building type (e.g., 100 kBtu/sq. ft. for office buildings). New construction and major renovations must demonstrate 18–30% energy savings through energy modeling, with opportunities to partner on ESCO contracts for efficiency upgrades including lighting, HVAC, motors, and energy management systems.
The 2022 Municipal Building Decarbonization and Benchmarking Policy mandates 5% annual reductions in electric and natural gas use across city facilities, enforced through AP 3-41 EUI targets by building type and Energy Star Portfolio Manager benchmarking. The General Services Department implements LEED Silver requirements for municipal projects over 10,000 sq. ft., with ESCO partnerships (Siemens, Schneider) funding efficiency improvements; the city tracks performance across 300+ buildings to support a citywide 20% efficiency improvement commitment.
Program details
- Program ID
- 2887
- Last updated
- 7/8/2024
Eligibility
- Sectors
- local government
- Technologies
- solar - passive solar water heat solar space heat solar photovoltaics wind (all) biomass geothermal heat pumps daylighting hydroelectric (small) comprehensive measures/whole building
Program 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.
Contact & resources
- Contact email
- richard.vella@cityofhouston.net
- Additional resources
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
