Detroit’s new climate strategy includes policy benchmarks for energy, water usage in buildings

A novel efficiency benchmarking policy for building energy and water usage is a cornerstone of Detroit’s new climate strategy, which sets out a plan to reduce municipal greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2034 and completely by 2050.

“I am proud to have supported this ordinance, which was initiated by Detroit’s Green Task Force, that will require certain businesses to provide the city with information on their energy and water usage,” said City Councilman Scott Benson in a statement. “To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we need to come up with solutions driven by data, not best guesses. This ordinance, along with other key strategies in the Detroit Climate Strategy, makes our city a leader in sustainability.”

Reducing building emissions has emerged as a key challenge in the global push toward net zero. So far, it’s not going as planned. A November report from 3keel and Kingspan, “Global Retrofit Index Interim Report: Assessing progress on the path to net zero,” concluded that retrofits of older buildings “represents a significant challenge,” and progress is well-below what’s needed for high-performing G20 countries to achieve their 2050 climate goals.

Reduction of building emissions are platueauing in the U.S. Meanwhile, there’s a rising demand for energy that’s expected to counteract future efficiency gains.

The plan, which was published at the end of last month, brings Detroit among a growing number of American cities, counties, and states that have adopted mandatory energy and water benchmarking and transparency policies for buildings, according to a statement from the city. Beginning next year, the new benchmarking policy requires all municipal buildings, and commercial and multifamily buildings over 100,000 gross square feet, to annually report energy and water usage. Those between 25,000 and 100,000 square feet will have to report data beginning in 2025.

In Detroit, buildings comprise 63 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions—the city’s largest emitter. On average, benchmarking a building’s energy and water usage reduces consumption. The ordinance was designed to be a critical tool to help administrators monitor energy and water consumption, and to help them identify opportunities for efficiency upgrades.

More broadly, the strategy outlines a number of core strategies and actions administrators can take to reduce emissions.

“A lot of the Detroit Climate Strategy goals relate to what is needed in my Southwest Detroit community: educating the public, making energy more affordable, improving air quality, creating green spaces to offset flooding and basement backups, and helping residents rebound after such events,” said Theresa Landrum, a member of the city’s Climate Equity Action Council and an environmental justice activist working in Southwest Detroit.

Those actions laid out in the framework are: transitioning to clean energy; increasing sustainable mobility; accelerating energy efficiency and reducing waste; and prioritizing vulnerable residents by reducing flood risk, protecting residents from extreme heat, and improving air quality.

“The Detroit Climate Strategy is a blueprint for change, a testament to our city’s ability to adapt, and a testament to our commitment to creating a better world for generations to come. Together, we will turn challenges into opportunities, and with every sustainable action we take, we’ll build a brighter future for all Detroiters,” said Briana DuBose, director of strategic community initiatives at EcoWorks.