Bennet’s Better Buildings Act Signed into Law

New Law Aims to Boost Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings

Washington, DC - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today applauded the president's signature on a bill that includes the bipartisan Better Buildings Act he authored with Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH). The Better Buildings Act encourages tenants of commercial buildings to voluntarily implement cost-effective measures that will help reduce energy consumption and ultimately lower utility costs for businesses. Bennet attended the signing ceremony at the White House today.

"This new law thinks about efficiency in buildings not only from the ‘top down,' where a building owner makes the improvements, but also from the ‘bottom up,' where a tenant designs and configures their rented space in an energy-efficient manner," Bennet said. "It provides incentives for tenants in commercial buildings to become leaders in energy efficiency, all while saving money and reducing carbon pollution."

The Better Buildings Act encourages tenants of commercial buildings to implement cost-effective measures that will help reduce energy consumption and utility costs for businesses. As building owners across the country strive to distinguish their buildings with the voluntary ENERGY STAR label to help attract tenants and satisfy investors, this bill creates a new voluntary "Tenant Star" certification to reward and recognize tenants who design and construct high-performance leased spaces.

Dozens of organizations from the real estate sector, construction industry and environmental advocacy have endorsed the bill, including the Real Estate Roundtable, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the American Institute of Architects, the National Association of Home Builders, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, the Real Estate Roundtable, and the U.S. Green Building Council.

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