New municipal buildings in Charlotte to be powered by electricity

The City also stated that through action, it affirms its dedication to sustainability, and to help residents join the effort to build a more sustainable future. The SFP revision also strategically positions the city to maximise its benefits from federal rebates.

“With the updated Sustainable Facilities Policy, we are taking decisive steps toward realising our vision of a sustainable and resilient city”

Through the Inflation Reduction Act’s direct pay programme for clean energy projects, city staff will help Charlotteans harness financial incentives to further propel the transition to a cleaner, greener future.

For new construction, changes to the SFP include requirements for:

• New facilities to be all-electric with no new direct fossil fuels to power buildings except for backup generation
• HVAC geothermal systems
• Building automation systems
• Smart surfaces to reduce energy and heat (cool pavement and roofs)
• Feasibility analysis to determine if a net-zero building is possible.

For new construction and major renovations, SFP changes include:

• • Encouraging the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Environmental Product Declaration’s credit – environmental life cycle assessment
  • Strengthening and expanding on-site solar renewable energy
  • Scoping energy storage systems (battery) to maximise solar energy
  • Pursuing LEED bicycle facility credit for facilities that meet the bicycle network requirement, which supports mode-shift and includes bicycle storage
  • Requiring a periodic analysis for HVAC replacement projects to determine if electrification of systems can occur.