New Hampshire Legislature Approves High Performance State Building Standard

On January 6, a bill (SB 409) was introduced in the New Hampshire General Court that would create a high performance standard for new construction and renovations of certain state buildings. The bill charges the Department of Environmental Services and the Department of Administrative Services to develop a “high performance, energy efficient, sustainable design standard” for state buildings shown to achieve a 10-year payback period for the incremental construction costs. State buildings exempt from the standard include: those less than 25,000 square feet, renovations estimated to cost less than $1 million, public schools, and the university system of New Hampshire.

SB409 was approved by the Senate on March 24. On May 13, the House passed the bill with amendments, on which the Senate concurred May 19. The bill now goes to the desk of Gov. John Lynch for his signature or veto. It would be effective July 1, 2011.

More Information:SB 409: Home & Text (as amended by House)

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BCAP New Hampshire Code Status