Smart Building Acceleration Act
Directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to: (1) conduct a survey of privately owned smart buildings throughout the nation, select at least one building each from an appropriate range of building sizes and types, and evaluate the costs and benefits of such buildings using the guidelines of the Federal Energy Management Program relating to whole-building evaluation, measurement, and verification; and (2) establish a program to establish one or more smart buildings under the jurisdiction of the General Services Administration and the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Veterans Affairs to demonstrate and evaluate the costs and benefits of smart buildings. Requires such evaluations to include an identification of which advanced building technologies are most cost-effective and show the most promise for increasing building energy savings, increasing service performance to building occupants, and reducing environmental impacts.
Defines a "smart building" to mean a building with an energy system that:
Directs DOE: (1) as part of DOE's Better Building Challenge, to develop a smart building accelerator in consultation with major private sector property owners to demonstrate innovative policies and approaches that will accelerate the transition to smart buildings; and (2) to conduct research and development to address key barriers to the integration of advanced building technologies and to accelerate the transition to smart buildings.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1046 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1046
To accelerate the adoption of smart building technologies in the
private sector and key Federal agencies.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 22, 2015
Ms. Cantwell introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To accelerate the adoption of smart building technologies in the
private sector and key Federal agencies.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Smart Building Acceleration Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the building sector uses more than 40 percent of the
energy of the Nation;
(2) emerging building energy monitoring and control
technologies are enabling a transition of the building sector
to ``smart'' buildings that have dramatically reduced energy
use and improved quality of service to occupants;
(3) an analysis of select private-sector smart buildings by
the Department of Energy would document the costs and benefits
of those emerging technologies, promote their adoption, and
accelerate that transition;
(4) with over 400,000 buildings, the Federal Government is
the largest building owner in the United States; and
(5) the Federal Government can also accelerate the
transition to smart building technologies by demonstrating and
evaluating emerging smart building technologies using existing
programs and funding to showcase selected Federal smart
buildings.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Program.--The term ``program'' means the smart building
program established under section 5(a).
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(3) Smart building.--The term ``smart building'' means a
building with an energy system that--
(A) is flexible and automated;
(B) has extensive operational monitoring and
communication connectivity, allowing remote monitoring
and analysis of all building functions;
(C) is integrated with the overall building
operations for control of energy generation,
consumption, and storage; and
(D) communicates with utilities and other third
party commercial entities where appropriate.
SEC. 4. SURVEY OF PRIVATE SECTOR SMART BUILDINGS.
(a) Survey.--The Secretary shall conduct a survey of privately
owned smart buildings throughout the Nation, including commercial
buildings and buildings owned by nonprofit organizations and
institutions of higher education.
(b) Selection.--From among the smart buildings surveyed under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall select at least 1 building each
from an appropriate range of building sizes and types.
(c) Evaluation.--Using the guidelines of the Federal Energy
Management Program relating to whole-building evaluation, measurement,
and verification, the Secretary shall evaluate the costs and benefits
of the buildings selected under subsection (b), including an
identification of--
(1) which advanced building technologies--
(A) are most cost-effective; and
(B) show the most promise for--
(i) increasing building energy savings;
(ii) increasing service performance to
building occupants; and
(iii) reducing environmental impacts; and
(2) any other information the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.
SEC. 5. FEDERAL SMART BUILDING PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program to
establish 1 or more smart buildings under the jurisdiction of several
key Federal agencies, including buildings that are owned by the Federal
Government but are commercially operated, to demonstrate the costs and
benefits of smart buildings.
(b) Federal Agency Described.--The key Federal agencies referred to
in subsection (a) shall include--
(1) the Department of Defense;
(2) the Department of Energy;
(3) the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
(4) the General Services Administration.
(c) Requirement.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall
leverage existing procurement mechanisms.
(d) Evaluation.--Using the guidelines of the Federal Energy
Management Program relating to whole-building evaluation, measurement,
and verification, the Secretary shall evaluate the costs and benefits
of the buildings selected under this section including an
identification of--
(1) which advanced building technologies--
(A) are most cost-effective; and
(B) show the most promise for--
(i) increasing building energy savings;
(ii) increasing service performance to
building occupants; and
(iii) reducing environmental impacts; and
(2) any other information the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.
SEC. 6. LEVERAGING EXISTING PROGRAMS.
(a) Better Building Challenge.--As part of the Better Building
Challenge of the Department of Energy, the Secretary shall develop a
smart building accelerator in consultation with major private sector
property owners to demonstrate innovative policies and approaches that
will accelerate the transition to smart buildings.
(b) Research and Development.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct research and
development to address key barriers to the integration of
advanced building technologies and to accelerate the transition
to smart buildings.
(2) Inclusion.--The research and development conducted
under paragraph (1) shall include research and development on--
(A) physical components, such as sensors and
controls;
(B) reducing the cost of key components to
accelerate the adoption of smart building technologies;
(C) data management, including the capture and
analysis of data and the interoperability of the energy
systems;
(D) business models, including how business models
may limit the adoption of smart building technologies
and how to support transactive energy;
(E) characterization of buildings and components;
(F) consumer and utility protections;
(G) continuous management, including the challenges
of managing multiple energy systems and optimizing
systems for disparate stakeholders; and
(H) other areas of research and development, as
determined appropriate by the Secretary.
SEC. 7. REPORT.
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the
House of Representatives a report on--
(1) the survey and evaluation of private sector smart
buildings carried out under section 4;
(2) the evaluation of Federal smart buildings carried out
under section 5; and
(3) any recommendations of the Secretary to further
accelerate the transition to smart buildings.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-166.
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