Regulations to Increase Energy Efficiency in New Federal Buildings
The
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has established regulations that
require new federal buildings to achieve at least 30 percent greater
energy efficiency over prevailing building codes. Mandated by the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), these standards apply to new federal
commercial and multi-family high-rise residential buildings, as well as
new federal low-rise residential buildings designed for construction
that began on or after Jan. 3, 2007.
These standards are also 40 percent more efficient than the current Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
and carry out portions of President Bush's Executive Order (EO #13423),
announced earlier this year, which directed federal agencies to reduce
energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions; substantially increase
use and efficiency of renewable energy technologies; and adopt
sustainable design practices.
"Dramatically elevating building efficiency standards to these
unprecedented levels substantially transforms the way the federal
government manages and uses energy," said Andy Karsner, DOE assistant
secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "These standards
contribute to sound and stable efficiency policy that will yield real,
substantive energy savings and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions."
Over the course of the next 10 years, these standards are estimated
to save taxpayers $776 million dollars (in 2004 dollars) and more than
40 trillion British thermal units of energy, while reducing emissions
by an estimated 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Specifically,
these standards replace existing Federal building energy efficiency
standards found in 10 CFR Part 434 (for commercial and high-rise multi-family residential buildings) and 10 CFR Part 435 Subpart C (for low-rise residential buildings).
These new standards are based on the American National Standards
Institute/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and
Air-Conditioning Engineers/Illuminating Engineering Society of North
America Standard 90.1-2004 for commercial and high-rise multi-family
residential buildings and the 2004 version of the International Code
Council (ICC) International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for
low-rise residential buildings.