BEPS Modeling, Cost Data, and Alternative Compliance Pathways - SAG

The June 2026 meeting of the Maryland Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) covered critical updates on the BEPS regulation, energy retrofit cost data, and flexible compliance options. Key discussion points from the session included: Program Deadlines and Fees: 🕝The annual benchmarking deadline was extended to June 30, 2026. This year marks the first implementation of the required annual fee under House Bill 49. Retrofit Cost Analysis: 💸 The group reviewed the underlying data for the MD BEPS impact analysis, which uses cost curves to estimate the financial impact of energy efficiency and electrification measures for buildings. Alternative Compliance Pathways (ACP): Guest speaker Lewis Morgante from Montgomery County detailed the Building Performance Improvement Plan (BPIP) process for Montgomery County's BEPS program. This pathway allows building owners to follow a prescriptive, multi-year retrofit roadmap based on cost-effective measures if they cannot meet energy use intensity (EUI) targets by the deadline. Stakeholder Feedback: Attendees shared concerns regarding secondary costs of retrofits, such as refrigerant-related code changes and electrical service upgrades, as well as the unique challenges faced by buildings on district steam systems. Call for Feedback 🔥🔥🔥 Stakeholders are encouraged to submit additional feedback on retrofit cost data by July 2, 2026 and on alternative compliance pathways by August 6, 2026 via email to [email protected] with the subject line "SAG Feedback". Resources: MDE SAG Session 5 Slides: https://mde.maryland.gov/Documents/SA... Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection BPIP Overview Slides: https://mde.maryland.gov/Documents/Mo... BEPS Stakeholder Advisory Group email signup https://public.govdelivery.com/accoun... Annual Reporting Fee Instructions - Written https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/air... Annual Reporting Fee Instructions - Video    • How to Pay the BEPS Annual Reporting Fee |...   BEPS Impact Analysis https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/reg... Cost/Benefit Study of Washington DC's BEPS Program: https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dc... Steven Winters Associates Report for Montgomery County DEP https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ar... Maryland Building Decarbonization Study https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/Air... Cost-Effectiveness of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2019 for Maryland https://www.pnnl.gov/main/publication... Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA) Member Cost Summary Overview https://www.aoba-metro.org/advocacy/m... MD BEPS Benchmarking Office Hours Schedule https://calendar.google.com/calendar/...