Smart Building Acceleration Act

Summary: 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:  is flexible and automated;  has extensive operational monitoring and communication connectivity, allowing remote monitoring and analysis of all building functions;  is integrated with the overall building operations for control of energy generation, consumption, and storage; and  communicates with utilities and other third party commercial entities.   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.

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.