Montgomery County recognises BREEAM for building tax credits
On 5 November 2020, BRE announced that Montgomery County in Maryland had become the first jurisdiction in the United States to recognize BREEAM for building tax credits, including both BREEAM In-Use for existing buildings and BREEAM New Construction for new buildings.
The County was among the first jurisdictions in the US to adopt a mandatory green building law for private real estate and has been one of the most environmentally progressive jurisdictions in the United States. The green building tax program has awarded more than $33.4 million in tax credits since its inception in 2008. Bill 10-20, sponsored by Council members Hans Riemer and Andrew Friedson and co-sponsored by Council President Sidney Katz, prioritises energy reduction in new and existing commercial and multi-family buildings and ensures incentives are given only for buildings that surpass the requirements of the County’s building code. The legislation is based on the recommendations of a working group made up of stakeholders including County government, climate groups and the local real estate sector.
The bill creates a new two-tier structure for the credit. The first tier ties the amount of the credit to the energy reduction level relative to the existing building code. The higher the energy reduction level, the higher the credit. The second tier assigns a bonus credit, if the buildings also meet the highest levels of the green building certifications recognised in the legislation or equivalent standards as accepted by the County.
For existing buildings, this means building owners are eligible for additional credits if they achieve an Excellent or Outstanding rating under BREEAM In-Use. The bill sets a two-year limit on the credit for existing buildings and maintains a cap of $5 million annually.
For new construction, building owners would be eligible for an additional credit of 25% of the property tax due over 4 years if an Excellent rating was achieved under BREEAM New Construction and 75% if an Outstanding rating was achieved. Unlike the existing buildings policy, the county placed no cap on the new buildings credit, meaning there is no limit on the number of new construction projects which can qualify for tax credits.
Shamir Ghumra, BREEAM Director, said: “Though BREEAM certification has been alluded to as an equivalent rating system certification accepted by municipal and regional government green building certifications, Montgomery County is the first to explicitly mention BREEAM in the US. We’re excited to seeing future municipal and regional governments allow for further flexibility for building certifications where BREEAM can meet an asset’s needs.”
This article originally appeared as: 'Montgomery County (MD) becomes first in the US to recognize BREEAM for building tax credits' on 5 November 2020 on the BREEAM website.
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[edit] Management:
- BREEAM Sustainability champion
- BREEAM Environmental management
- BREEAM Considerate construction
- BREEAM Monitoring of construction site impacts
- BREEAM Aftercare support
- BREEAM Seasonal commissioning
- BREEAM Testing and inspecting building fabric
- BREEAM Life cycle cost and service life planning
- BREEAM Stakeholder consultation (ac)
- BREEAM Commissioning (ac)
- BREEAM Handover (ac)
- BREEAM Inclusive and accessible design (ac)
- BREEAM Post occupancy evaluation
[edit] Health and Wellbeing
- BREEAM Visual comfort Daylighting (partly ac)
- BREEAM Visual comfort View out
- BREEAM Visual comfort Glare control
- BREEAM Indoor air quality plan
- BREEAM Indoor air quality Ventilation
- BREEAM Thermal comfort
- BREEAM Internal and external lighting (ac)
- BREEAM Indoor pollutants VOCs (ac)
- BREEAM Potential for natural ventilation (ac)
- BREEAM Safe containment in laboratories (ac)
- BREEAM Acoustic performance
- BREEAM Safety and security (ac)
[edit] Energy
- BREEAM Reduction of energy use and carbon emissions
- BREEAM Energy monitoring
- BREEAM External lighting
- BREEAM Low carbon design
- BREEAM Passive design
- BREEAM Free cooling
- BREEAM LZC technologies
- BREEAM Energy efficient cold storage (partly ac)
- BREEAM Energy efficient transportation systems
- BREEAM Energy efficient laboratory systems
- BREEAM Energy efficient equipment (partly ac)
- BREEAM Drying space
[edit] Transport
- BREEAM Transport assessment and travel plan
- BREEAM Public transport accessibility
- BREEAM Sustainable transport measures
- BREEAM Proximity to amenities
- BREEAM Cyclist facilities
- BREEAM Alternative modes of transport (ac)
- BREEAM Maximum car parking capacity
- BREEAM Travel plan
- BREEAM Home office (ac)
[edit] Water
- BREEAM Water consumption
- BREEAM Water efficient equipment
- BREEAM Water monitoring
- BREEAM Water leak detection (ac)
[edit] Materials
- BREEAM Hard landscaping and boundary protection
- BREEAM Responsible sourcing of materials
- BREEAM Insulation
- BREEAM Designing for durability and resilience
- BREEAM Life cycle impacts
- BREEAM Material efficiency (ac)
[edit] Waste
- BREEAM Construction waste management
- BREEAM Recycled aggregates
- BREEAM Speculative floor & ceiling finishes
- BREEAM Adaptation to climate change
- BREEAM Operational waste
- BREEAM Functional adaptability (ac)
[edit] Land Use and Ecology
- BREEAM Site Selection
- BREEAM Ecological value of site
- BREEAM Protection of ecological features
- BREEAM Minimising impact on existing site ecology
- BREEAM Enhancing site ecology
- BREEAM Long term impact on biodiversity (ac)
[edit] Pollution
- BREEAM Impact of refrigerants
- BREEAM NOx emissions
- BREEAM Flood risk management (ac)
- BREEAM Surface water run-off (ac)
- BREEAM Reduction of night time light pollution (partly ac)
- BREEAM Reduction of noise pollution
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This particular index is based around the structure of the New Construction and RFO schemes.