Description: In San Francisco, CA, 44% of citywide emissions come from buildings (2.2 million metric tonnes CO₂e in 2017), and half of those emissions come from the commercial sector. Within the commercial building sector, 28% of the emissions arise directly from electricity used to power these buildings.

San Francisco’s plan will require the largest commercial buildings to use 100% renewable electricity by 2022; other commercial buildings of 50,000 square feet and larger will be required to use 100% renewable electricity by 2030. By 2030 emissions will be reduced by over 317,000 metric tonnes.

The new clean electricity requirement will be the first in the nation and will reduce emissions from the City’s largest commercial buildings and accelerate San Francisco’s drive towards 100% renewable electricity by 2030.

Mayor London Breed also announced that she is directing the Department of the Environment to convene a public-private task force to examine how best to electrify San Francisco’s buildings (existing and new). The task force is expected to produce a decarbonization roadmap for buildings.

Goal: Commercial Building Electrification:
Reduce CO₂ and other GHG emissions by requiring electricity used in commercial buildings to be renewably generated