BEUDO Regulatory Process Update
February 19, 2025
The City of Cambridge passed the updated Building Energy Use and Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) in June 2023 with a rigorous set of steps and deadlines for reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 for non-residential buildings 100,000 square feet or larger, and by 2050 for non-residential buildings 25,000-100,000 square feet.
Cambridge is going through a similar process to Boston by creating detailed regulations for BEUDO in multiple phases. The first set of regulations contained information on carbon emissions calculations and ways in which owners can purchase renewable energy to offset emissions created from grid electricity. A Better City provided comments on this regulatory phase.
Regulatory language on these topics was approved and posted to the BEUDO website in December 2024. Emission factors were published in BEUDO procedures.
The next phase of regulatory development will focus on: data verification requirements; property and ownership definitions; alternate baseline selection; and Review Board structure. A draft of these regulations is expected in April 2025.
A third phase in the regulatory process will take place later in 2025 and will focus on: campus designation; applications for hardship and deferral plans; and appointments to the Review Board.
Please reach out to Yve Torrie if you have any questions or would like to be part of A Better City’s Buildings Policy Coalition.
