High Performance Buildings

Population and job growth in the region will continue to push demand for housing, workplaces, and schools. Buildings consume vast amounts of resources, from the materials produced to construct them to the energy used to operate them. Buildings are responsible for two thirds of the region's greenhouse gas emissions. On a national scale, the construction of buildings and their related infrastructure consume approximately 40 percent of all raw materials used in the U.S. economy according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

High-performance buildings integrates and optimizes all major advanced building attributes, including energy efficiency, durability, construction, operation and maintenance principles, life-cycle performance, and occupant productivity. COG supports the common objective of its member governments to in improving the efficiency and environmental performance of the region’s building stock by advocating for the adoption of greener building standards, energy efficient building codes, and greener construction codes through education, sharing of best practices, and outreach. These buildings help save taxpayers money through reduced energy and utility bills, and to stimulate markets for sustainable technologies and products.