City of Charlotte - Green Building Policy for Municipal Buildings
This policy does not directly benefit individual homeowners, as it applies only to City of Charlotte-owned and City-managed buildings. However, residents may see indirect benefits if the city's adoption of all-electric buildings, geothermal HVAC, smart surfaces, and on-site solar demonstrates effective green building practices that could inform future residential incentives or community sustainability initiatives.
Contractors working on Charlotte municipal projects must now meet stricter requirements: all new facilities must be all-electric (except backup generation), use geothermal HVAC systems, include building automation and smart surfaces, and demonstrate feasibility of net-zero design. Major renovations must include expanded on-site solar, energy storage systems, and electrification analysis for HVAC replacements. All new construction and major renovations pursue LEED certification and Designed to Earn ENERGY STAR where applicable.
This is a municipal green building standard requiring all new City-owned construction and major renovations to achieve LEED/Global Greens and Designed to Earn ENERGY STAR certification. As of April 2024, the policy mandates all-electric design (except backup generation), geothermal HVAC, building automation, smart surfaces, feasibility studies for net-zero achievement, and expanded on-site solar with energy storage. Buildings over 5,000 sq. ft. must benchmark energy use intensity; the policy targets municipal capital projects and applies to all City-managed facilities.
Program details
- Program ID
- 22672
- Last updated
- 7/16/2024
Eligibility
- Sectors
- local government
- Technologies
- comprehensive measures/whole building
Program summary
The City of Charlotte's Sustainable Facilities Policy requires that all new City-owned and City-managed construction and major renovation projects achieve LEED/Global Greens certification and, where applicable, achieve Designed to Earn ENERGY STAR Certification. Additionally, all City-owned and City-managed buildings greater than 5,000 sq. ft. are required to benchmark their energy use intensity. The Sustainable Facilities Policy also prohibits the usage of various personal-type appliances in spaces designated as "common areas."
In April 2024, the Charlotte City council adopted the following changes to the Sustainable Facilities Policy:
New Constructions
- Requires all new facilities to be all-electric except for back-up generation
- Utilize geothermal systems for HVAC
- Requires building automation systems
- Requires smart surfaces to reduce energy and heat (cool pavement and roofs)
- Requires feasibility analysis to determine if building a net-zero building is possible
New Construction & Major Renovations
- Encourages the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) environmental life cycle assessment
- Strengthens and expands on-site solar renewable energy
- Scopes energy storage systems (e.g., battery) to maximize solar energy
- For facilities that meet the bicycle network requirement, new construction will pursue LEED Bicycle facility credit, which supports mode-shift and includes bicycle storage
- Requires a periodic analysis for HVAC replacement projects to determine if electrification of systems can occur
Contact & resources
- Additional resources
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
