Energy Audit News

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate advanced proposals to promote energy efficiency. In the House, Representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) released a "discussion draft" of energy and climate change legislation that contains many energy efficiency provisions. In the Senate, the Energy Committee approved four bills with energy efficiency components, including accepting several strengthening amendments.

The House bill, called the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACESA), includes a cap and trade system to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, and a variety of energy efficiency provisions including:

• An energy efficiency resource standard that requires electric and natural gas distribution companies to operate programs that reduce electricity use by 15% by 2020 and natural gas use by 10%. Eligible measures include helping residential and commercial consumers reduce their energy use, energy-saving codes.
  
  
• A new Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) program to promote comprehensive efficiency retrofits to homes and commercial buildings, reducing energy consumption by an average of 20% or more. This is based on H.R. 1778, previously introduced by Representative Peter Welch (D-VT).
  
  
• Enactment of new minimum efficiency standards on six products - portable lighting fixtures (floor and table lamps); outdoor lighting fixtures for streets and parking lots; commercial furnaces; drinking water dispensers; hot tubs; and hot food holding cabinets (used to keep food warm before it is served).
  
  
• A variety of reforms to the federal appliance standards program, clarifying ambiguous language in current law and strengthening the ability of the Secretary of Energy to set standards that are "technically feasible" and "economically justified."
  
  
• A provision directing building codes be strengthened to reduce energy use in new buildings by 30% starting in 2010 and 50% starting in 2016.
  
  
• A provision establishing a building labeling program so that owners and prospective purchasers and tenants can compare the energy use of a particular home or building to similar buildings in their local area.

The Senate Energy Committee approved four bills yesterday originally sponsored by Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). The bills address the following issues:

• Set new efficiency standards on portable lighting fixtures and commercial furnaces and address some problems in current appliance standards law.
  
  
• Improve and establish federal programs to advance energy efficiency in the industrial sector.
  Extend and expand several Department of Energy research and development workforce training programs.
  
  
• Promote best practices in the use of energy and water treatment and delivery, fuel refining, and electricity generation.
  
  
• Both the House and Senate bills have a long legislative process ahead of them. The House Energy and Commerce Committee is planning to complete work on its bill by the end of May while the Senate Energy Committee hopes to complete work by the end of April.