Case Study for Meeting SmartRegs Requirements for Prescriptive and Performance Pathways in Boulder, Colorado
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 23, Issue 3
Abstract
On January 3, 2011, the City of Boulder, Colorado, implemented the SmartRegs ordinances and, in doing so, became the first city in the nation to require energy retrofits for rental properties; 20,000 rental units comprise nearly 50% of Boulder’s total housing stock, and the mandate requires that all rental properties meet the minimum energy standard by 2019. The objective of this research is to explore prescriptive and performance pathways and tools used to comply with SmartRegs. The primary contribution is to illustrate and assess the SmartRegs compliance process rather than to generate or validate precise performance results. The research first uses building optimization software to perform secondary analysis of three previously conducted audits to explore SmartRegs compliance pathways. Next, the research uses a case study consisting of a stand-alone residential rental unit in Boulder to compare prescriptive-based and performance-based SmartRegs upgrade recommendations. Findings highlight the challenges, opportunities, and nuances of implementing such an ordinance. Specifically, special considerations regarding the property’s circumstances may play a large role.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 23 • Issue 3 • September 2017
Copyright
© 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 28, 2016
Accepted: Dec 20, 2016
Published online: Apr 12, 2017
Published in print: Sep 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Sep 12, 2017
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