§71a GEG: Burden or Breakthrough? Why this law isn’t the problem, it finally solves one
Let’s be honest. No one was excited about §71a GEG. Another law. More regulation. One more item on an already overloaded checklist for facility managers, energy officers, and technical leads. The first reaction? Stress. Pushback. Resistance.
But the real issue isn’t the law. It’s what the law reveals. That most systems are not optimizing. They are simply running. They collect data but don’t act on it. They display what’s happening but don’t decide what should happen.
§71a was introduced to fix exactly that. And the truth is, it is not a burden. It is long overdue. The regulation applies to large non-residential buildings with central HVAC systems above 290 kW. It requires that energy systems be controlled intelligently, automatically, and adaptively. This might sound like a technical obligation, but in reality, it is a clear move toward operational clarity. When understood correctly, §71a is not about giving up control. It is about regaining it.
Because what is still called "building automation" today is often just a monitoring dashboard. A traditional building management system shows numbers. It triggers alarms. It visualizes system states. But it does not react. It does not learn. And it does not improve. It runs on rigid schedules. It ignores occupancy, weather, and usage patterns. It is blind to what is technically possible today.
§71a is not asking for more manual effort. It is asking for better systems. And better systems mean less work for operational teams. No more endless fine-tuning. No more broken calendar logic. No more overheated warehouses or overcooled offices because the BMS is running on autopilot. Smarter systems learn. They adapt. They respond in real time and optimize based on real conditions.
So no, the real burden in building operations is not §71a. It is the status quo. It is the illusion that outdated systems still work. And every month that illusion is costing you energy, emissions, and money. §71a is not the enemy. It is a turning point. A call for transparency, intelligent control, and systems that actually think instead of just run.
We have created a free checklist that lets you assess in just two minutes whether your building is compliant with §71a and whether it is truly operating efficiently or still falling short of its potential.