Terminate rather than pause the BEPS Program. The Mayor does not need to mandate that communities be more energy efficient. Massive increases in utility bills over the last several years provide enough incentive to lower energy costs. The only thing BEPS penalize us for not doing it faster.


The Mayor requested more than a half a million dollars to retrofit DC government buildings and left communities to fend for themselves in financing expensive projects that may (or may not) help us meet arbitrary goals set by DOEE. I’ve found the DC Green Bank to be ineffective in assisting with securing financing. Every community I’ve surveyed has encountered issues with Pepco and DOEE during the benchmarking process which may not be considered when it’s time to fine. Administration of BEPS is resource intensive. If this program is so important and the deadlines so critical, why didn’t the Mayor also set-aside funds for grants to assist multi-family communities with financing energy retrofit projects? Why didn’t she request funds in the 2026 budget for market rate multifamily housing and small businesses that don’t have the resources or financing to do retrofits? The answer is that the program was intended to be another revenue stream for the city. The unintended outcome is that communities will have to pass on these costs to residents.


It’s our understanding that EnergyStar, which is central to BEPS, will be eliminated. Even if EnergyStar survives, it’s uncertain future should be an indicator to DC government that it’s time to change it’s priorities. (The proposed stadium will also be a financial drain rather than a sustainable source of long term revenue and affordable housing.)


Again, communities were already making energy improvements before DC mandates. Eliminate BEPS and let DOEE go back to its core mission of assisting individuals and communities with energy efficiency and monitoring the health of our wildlife and natural resources.