New Rule Boosts Federal Building Efficiency

To encourage higher energy efficiency standards in federal buildings, the DOE now requires the 2010 version of ASHRAE’s Standard 90.1. The update is expected to save 18.2% more energy than the 2007 version.

The rule falls under the Energy Conservation and Production Act (ECPA) and applies to buildings beginning construction one year after its publication in the Federal Register. The act promotes “energy efficiency measures that are technology feasible and economically justifiable.”

The same initiative also includes a timetable to reduce fossil fuel dependence in federal buildings. The current scale specifies a 65% reduction by 2015, 80% by 2020, and 100% by 2030.