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December 20, 2005

Gordon: Feds Must Be Energy Efficient Too

U.S. House Science Committee Ranking Member Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) has introduced a package of bills designed to take the next step in furthering energy conservation activities in the U.S., especially in the Federal Government.

"The Federal Government needs to be a leader on this issue," said Rep. Gordon.  Three bills make up the Gordon energy conservation package - H.R. 4593, H.R. 4594 and H.R. 4595.

"We stand here today facing the beginning of the winter heating season and a forecast of record high energy prices. It is possible that spot shortages may develop in parts of the country if the winter is especially severe," added Rep. Gordon.  "Regardless of what happens with supply, energy costs will be high this winter.  However, they don’t have to be as high in future winters and summers for homeowners and the federal government if we begin now to take some of the low-cost steps to better control our use of energy."

In 2000, Federal agencies spent $7.4 billion to consume 1 quadrillion BTUs of energy.  Although energy consumption in government buildings has dropped by almost 25% since 1985, approximately $1 billion in taxpayer dollars is still wasted each year.  These bills will help ensure that Federal buildings are meeting strong energy efficiency goals and that the Federal Government is taking a look at the full range of energy-saving technologies.

H.R. 4593 amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to require advanced energy metering be installed, to the extent practicable, on all Federal buildings by October 1, 2012.  Such meters will be required for electricity, natural gas, fuel oil propane, steam and chilled water and would provide data at least daily and hourly for electricity.

The bill provides an expedited installation schedule with a deadline of October 1, 2008 for new buildings, existing buildings with more than 100,000 square feet of enclosed space and existing buildings that use unusually large amounts of energy per square foot.  The Secretary of Energy is also directed to report to the Congress annually on the progress of the meter installation.  The Energy Department is required to issue guidelines for the installation of meters by Federal agencies and to amend them upon substantive amendment of the law.

"Metering is far easier to install during construction than after the building is completed.  Without this basic information, building performance cannot be evaluated and improved," said Rep. Gordon of H.R. 4593.  "I believe there is no reason why the government shouldn’t get on with this program now rather than waiting another seven years."

H.R. 4594 amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act to require Federal agencies, in the case of new buildings, to report to Congress on how the building’s energy performance compares with the original efficiency design goals, what remedies have been undertaken to correct any deficiencies, how the performance was measured and what the energy costs of not meeting the design criteria will be.  A report to the Congress is due 18 months after completion of the building, and a second report may be required if the building continues to fail to meet performance requirements after corrective actions have been taken.

"A significant problem in new Federal buildings is that they often use more energy than they were designed to use," added Rep. Gordon.  "Some of the excess consumption is due to the lack of adequate monitoring of the HVAC systems to ensure they are performing properly.  However, some buildings are actually shortchanged during the construction process as costs rise.  Often omitted for cost reasons are some of the features that are designed to save energy.  H.R. 4594 directs the head of each Federal agency to prepare a report comparing the actual energy performance of each new Federal building with the design energy efficiency performance of the building."

Finally, H.R. 4595 amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to clarify the intent that buildings in the U.S. Capitol Complex and those under the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol shall be required to comply with the same energy efficiency standards as other Federal buildings outside of the Legislative Branch.  Essentially, this bill clarifies the intent of the recently enacted H.R. 6, The Energy Policy Act of 2005, with respect to the obligations of the Architect of the Capitol in energy conservation.  The bill explicitly requires the AOC to comply with substantially all of the same building management requirements as the Federal agencies.  An exception is made with respect to reporting requirements.  Under this legislation, the AOC will report results to the committees of jurisdiction, rather than the Secretary of Energy.

"Though technical in nature, adoption of these measures now will pay big dividends in the future in the form of lower energy costs - small changes equal big savings.  Consumers expect efficiency and it is our job to make sure we’re doing the best job possible to save them money," concluded Rep. Gordon.

Ranking Member Gordon is also a Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

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