The omnibus energy legislation passed in December of last year declares national energy efficiency improvement goals and asks the Department of Energy to develop a strategic plan and conduct a national media campaign to achieve those goals. Additional direction also comes into play, as the new law describes block grants to state, Indian, and local governments to implement environmentally beneficial energy strategies. Elementary and high schools, along with colleges and universities, are eligible for energy efficiency grants. Green job training made it into the bill, increasing the labor pool for efficiency. It also includes new standards for some HVAC products, consumer electronics, electric motors, and home appliances.

Gas Efficiency Programs
While the gas utility section is not extensive, it amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to require each natural gas utility to “integrate energy efficiency resources into its plans and planning processes and adopt policies that establish energy efficiency as a priority resource in its plans and planning processes.” In addition, rates may be aligned with energy efficiency incentives and regulatory agencies and nonregulated gas utilities may consider rate redesign that encourages energy efficiency. However there is no language regarding implementation.

Consumer Electronics
The law recognizes that many off-the-shelf electronic products currently consume electricity inefficiently in standby mode. The federal government will prescribe requirements for federal agencies purchasing these products. To encourage greater efficiency, the law mandates competitive awards for government purchases of high efficiency consumer products.

Housing and Buildings
Green building, both commercial and residential, is recognized with directives to adopt standards, conduct research, and explore marketing. The legislation authorizes creation of a new program to be administered by the Department of Energy called the Office of High-Performance Green Buildings. This office will report biennially to Congress on green building initiatives, identify a standard most likely to encourage a comprehensive and environmentally-sound approach to certification of green buildings, establish the Green Building Advisory Committee, create a national high-performance green building information clearinghouse, develop a high-performance green building research plan, implement a federal facilities indoor air quality program to ensure occupant safety, and analyze budget and contracting practices that affect high-performance green buildings, including barriers to green building life cycle costing and budgetary issues.

Commercial
While there are many small requirements affecting the commercial sector, including an “advanced insulation demonstration program,” the Commercial Buildings Initiative (CBI) calls for a consortium of business, academic, and governmental entities to implement an energy efficiency plan to reduce the quantity of energy consumed by commercial buildings in the United States and foster the development of energy efficient commercial buildings. The goal is making all new commercial buildings zero net energy, meaning that the facility produces the same amount of energy as it uses by the year 2030.

Federal buildings are required to reduce their energy consumption by thirty percent by 2015.

Lighting
Lighting initiatives were extensive and specific. Under the name Bright Tomorrow, the government has authorized $15 million for a solid state lighting design contest to replace flood lights and the 60 watt incandescent light bulb. Winning products will be used in federal buildings.

New federal lighting standards require incandescent bulbs using 25–30 percent less energy to be phased in from 2012–2014. By 2020, the expectation is that these bulbs will reduce energy by 60 percent. Initial targets can be met by advanced incandescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or solid state lighting. CFLs and solid state lighting already meet the 2020 target.

Commercial metal halide lamp fixtures standards are also updated.

Appliances

Appliances were the first arena for efficiency, and continue to be an important part of this bill with new standards established for residential boilers, clothes washers (by 2012), dishwashers (by 2015), dehumidifiers, electric motors, walk-in refrigerators and freezers (by 2012), and external power supplies (by 2011 and again in 2015).

HVAC
The bill instructs the secretary of energy to identify federal sites that could achieve energy savings through the use of combined heat and power or district energy installations.. In addition, DOE is required to issue a furnace electricity use standard by 2014, and a review of test procedures for all covered products every seven years.

Industrial
While there is not a specific section for the industrial sector (note that motors are grouped with appliances above), the bill does work through the Small Business Administration (SBA) to initiate gains in efficiency. For example, it amends the Small Business Act to provide for express loans for renewable energy and energy efficiency and asks the SBA administrator to educate and assist businesses in becoming more energy efficient, including using the ENERGY STAR for Small Business Program of DOE and EPA. For more in-depth information, see the summary information in the Thomas database of the Library of Congress for Public Law No: 110-140 or for more specific information visit the ACEEE web site.

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