Aligning Historic Preservation and Energy Efficiency: Legal Reforms to Support the 'Greenest Buildings'

Abstract

Since the 1950s, United States energy policy has incorporated efficiency as a central strategy. Buildings have been a major area of focus, which makes sense as residential and commercial buildings account for 40 percent of energy consumption in the United States. Despite the breadth of these efforts, we have overlooked an important resource: historic buildings. These buildings, typically over 50 years old, are “designated” historic – that is, listed on local, state, and national registers of historic places. Often dismissed as drafty and outdated, historic buildings are sometimes viewed as a lost cause – a barrier to, rather than a vehicle for, efficiency gains. Perhaps for that reason, most are exempt from energy conservation codes that apply to new construction. What’s worse, laws intended to protect their historic features make it harder for us to retrofit them at all. Rethinking the regulatory framework for historic places may help us harmonize the goals of environmentalists and preservationists. For behind the facades of old buildings may very well be the secret to accelerating climate progress.