Federal Activity

As the imperative to reduce the energy consumption of existing buildings becomes urgent, federal officials and legislators are signaling new interest in energy rating, disclosure and labeling policies. Several promising developments are emerging.

 

EISA

As part of a provision in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (HR ), all federal buildings must meet certain sustainability requirements. With further enhancement by Executive Orders 13514, 13423, and 13221, it is now required that all federal agencies track their energy, water, and fossil fuel consumption by benchmarking the use of each at the building- and agency-level.

On December 19, 2010 an energy rating provision of EISA took effect, requiring federal buildings to rent space only in buildings rated as energy efficient by the EPA's ENERGY STAR labeling program. Read IMT's press release for further explanation of the requirement's scope and impact.

 

CONGRESS

A building energy labeling provision was included in comprehensive climate legislation known as the "American Clean Energy and Security Act" (HR 2454). The bill was introduced by Chairman Henry Waxman and Edward Markey of the Energy and Commerce Committee and passed the House by a slim margin on June 26, 2009.

Under Section 204 of bill, federal agencies would be required to develop a building energy performance labeling program and model energy label for commercial and residential properties. States would receive federal funding if they mandated building energy assessments and labeling practices based on the federal model. The provision was weakened before passing to apply only to new construction. The bill is awaiting action in the Senate.

A similar labeling provision is included in Section 281 of the American Clean Energy Leadership Act, which recently passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the bill.

 

RECOVERY THROUGH RETROFIT PLAN

VP SealOn Oct. 19, 2009, Vice President Joe Biden and the Middle Class Task Force announced a new initiative by the federal government to dramatically boost home energy retrofits. Known as Recovery Through Retrofit, the program strives to overcome three consumer barriers to retrofits:

1. Access to Information: Consumers do not have access to straightforward and reliable information on home energy retrofits that they need to make informed decisions.

2. Access to Financing: Homeowners face high upfront costs and many are concerned that they will be prevented from recouping the value of their investment if they choose to sell their home. The upfront costs of home retrofit projects are often beyond the average homeowner's budget.

3. Access to Skilled Workers: There are currently not enough skilled workers and green entrepreneurs to expand weatherization and efficiency retrofit programs on a national scale.

 

To overcome the first barrier, poor access to information, the federal government committed for the first time to develop a standardized home energy performance measure and an energy performance label for homes. According to the report, the label will be an "easily recognizable benchmark that energy auditors, retrofitters, lenders, realtors, and consumers can use to compare home energy performance and identify the most energy efficient homes."

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is heading development of the performance measure and label through the National Building Rating Program (NBRP), as announced in a September 2009 memo with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The label is expected to debut in late 2010, after which time DOE will begin work on a label for commercial buildings.