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Congress Passes Bipartisan Energy Efficiency Bill

On April 21, 2015, the U.S. Congress passed a modest energy efficiency bill with bipartisan support. The bill—which was passed by voice votes in both chambers of Congress—is expected to be signed by President Obama.

Key Details

Key provisions in the bill:
- Direct federal agencies that lease space without an Energy Star label to include a lease provision that requires the space’s energy efficiency be measured against a nationally recognized benchmark
- Direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop a voluntary “Tenant Star” program to recognize tenants in commercial buildings that voluntarily achieve high levels of efficiency
- Amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to provide standards for grid-enabled water heaters for use in electric thermal storage or demand response programs
The bill sponsors, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), have been working on a broader range of energy efficiency measures since 2011

Implications

Energy efficiency is an economic and popular option garnering strong bipartisan support. The passage of this bill, despite long-standing Congressional gridlock on other topics, is a clear indicator that the trends are in favor of energy efficiency as a building block of future energy plans.

Additional Information

New York Times: Congress Passes Bipartisan Bill to Improve Energy Efficiency

ACEEE: Congress Just Passed an Energy Efficiency Bill

Congress.Gov: S.535 – Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015

This report is part of the Clean Tech & Sustainability Minute series. To view all featured Minutes, please click here.

Contributing Authors

Chris Vlahoplus Internal Advisor

Paul Quinlan Clean Tech Manager

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Congress Passes Bipartisan Energy Efficiency Bill

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