I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 873 
To promote energy efficiency, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 11, 2015 
Mr. MCKINLEY (for himself and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To promote energy efficiency, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
TITLE I—BETTER BUILDINGS 
SECTION 101. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Better Buildings Act 
of 2015’’. 
SEC. 102. ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN FEDERAL AND OTHER 
BUILDINGS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of General Serv-
ices. 
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(2) 
COST-EFFECTIVE
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY 
MEASURE.—The term ‘‘cost-effective energy effi-
ciency measure’’ means any building product, mate-
rial, equipment, or service, and the installing, imple-
menting, or operating thereof, that provides energy 
savings in an amount that is not less than the cost 
of such installing, implementing, or operating. 
(3) 
COST-EFFECTIVE
WATER
EFFICIENCY 
MEASURE.—The term ‘‘cost-effective water efficiency 
measure’’ means any building product, material, 
equipment, or service, and the installing, imple-
menting, or operating thereof, that provides water 
savings in an amount that is not less than the cost 
of such installing, implementing, or operating. 
(b) MODEL PROVISIONS, POLICIES, AND BEST PRAC-
TICES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
trator, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy 
and after providing the public with an opportunity 
for notice and comment, shall develop model com-
mercial leasing provisions and best practices in ac-
cordance with this subsection. 
(2) COMMERCIAL LEASING.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The model commercial 
leasing provisions developed under this sub-
section shall, at a minimum, align the interests 
of building owners and tenants with regard to 
investments in cost-effective energy efficiency 
measures and cost-effective water efficiency 
measures to encourage building owners and ten-
ants to collaborate to invest in such measures. 
(B) USE
OF
MODEL
PROVISIONS.—The 
Administrator may use the model commercial 
leasing provisions developed under this sub-
section in any standard leasing document that 
designates a Federal agency (or other client of 
the Administrator) as a landlord or tenant. 
(C) 
PUBLICATION.—The 
Administrator 
shall periodically publish the model commercial 
leasing provisions developed under this sub-
section, along with explanatory materials, to en-
courage building owners and tenants in the pri-
vate sector to use such provisions and mate-
rials. 
(3) REALTY
SERVICES.—The Administrator 
shall develop policies and practices to implement 
cost-effective energy efficiency measures and cost-ef-
fective water efficiency measures for the realty serv-
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ices provided by the Administrator to Federal agen-
cies (or other clients of the Administrator), including 
periodic training of appropriate Federal employees 
and contractors on how to identify and evaluate 
those measures. 
(4) STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE.—The Ad-
ministrator, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Energy, shall make available model commercial leas-
ing provisions and best practices developed under 
this subsection to State, county, and municipal gov-
ernments for use in managing owned and leased 
building space in accordance with the goal of encour-
aging investment in all cost-effective energy effi-
ciency measures and cost-effective water efficiency 
measures. 
SEC. 103. SEPARATE SPACES WITH HIGH-PERFORMANCE 
ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle B of title IV of the En-
ergy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 
17081 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 424. SEPARATE SPACES WITH HIGH-PERFORMANCE 
ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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‘‘(1) HIGH-PERFORMANCE ENERGY EFFICIENCY 
MEASURE.—The term ‘high-performance energy effi-
ciency measure’ means a technology, product, or 
practice that will result in substantial operational 
cost savings by reducing energy consumption and 
utility costs. 
‘‘(2) SEPARATE SPACES.—The term ‘separate 
spaces’ means areas within a commercial building 
that are leased or otherwise occupied by a tenant or 
other occupant for a period of time pursuant to the 
terms of a written agreement. 
‘‘(b) STUDY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary, 
acting through the Assistant Secretary of Energy 
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, shall complete a 
study on the feasibility of— 
‘‘(A) significantly improving energy effi-
ciency in commercial buildings through the de-
sign and construction, by owners and tenants, 
of separate spaces with high-performance en-
ergy efficiency measures; and 
‘‘(B) encouraging owners and tenants to 
implement high-performance energy efficiency 
measures in separate spaces. 
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‘‘(2) SCOPE.—The study shall, at a minimum, 
include— 
‘‘(A) descriptions of— 
‘‘(i) high-performance energy effi-
ciency measures that should be considered 
as part of the initial design and construc-
tion of separate spaces; 
‘‘(ii) processes that owners, tenants, 
architects, and engineers may replicate 
when designing and constructing separate 
spaces with high-performance energy effi-
ciency measures; 
‘‘(iii) policies and best practices to 
achieve reductions in energy intensities for 
lighting, plug loads, heating, cooling, cook-
ing, laundry, and other systems to satisfy 
the needs of the commercial building ten-
ant; 
‘‘(iv) return on investment and pay-
back analyses of the incremental cost and 
projected energy savings of the proposed 
set of high-performance energy efficiency 
measures, including consideration of avail-
able incentives; 
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‘‘(v) models and simulation methods 
that predict the quantity of energy used by 
separate spaces with high-performance en-
ergy efficiency measures and that compare 
that predicted quantity to the quantity of 
energy used by separate spaces without 
high-performance energy efficiency meas-
ures but that otherwise comply with appli-
cable building code requirements; 
‘‘(vi) measurement and verification 
platforms demonstrating actual energy use 
of 
high-performance 
energy 
efficiency 
measures installed in separate spaces, and 
whether such measures generate the sav-
ings intended in the initial design and con-
struction of the separate spaces; 
‘‘(vii) best practices that encourage an 
integrated approach to designing and con-
structing separate spaces to perform at op-
timum energy efficiency in conjunction 
with the central systems of a commercial 
building; and 
‘‘(viii) any impact on employment re-
sulting from the design and construction of 
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separate spaces with high-performance en-
ergy efficiency measures; and 
‘‘(B) case studies reporting economic and 
energy savings returns in the design and con-
struction of separate spaces with high-perform-
ance energy efficiency measures. 
‘‘(3) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.—Not later than 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall publish a notice in the Fed-
eral Register requesting public comments regarding 
effective methods, measures, and practices for the 
design and construction of separate spaces with 
high-performance energy efficiency measures. 
‘‘(4) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall pub-
lish the study on the website of the Department of 
Energy.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
in section 1(b) of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 is amended by inserting after the item relat-
ing to section 423 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 424. Separate spaces with high-performance energy efficiency measures.’’. 
SEC. 104. TENANT STAR PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle B of title IV of the En-
ergy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 
17081 et seq.) (as amended by section 103) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 425. TENANT STAR PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) HIGH-PERFORMANCE ENERGY EFFICIENCY 
MEASURE.—The term ‘high-performance energy effi-
ciency measure’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 424. 
‘‘(2) SEPARATE SPACES.—The term ‘separate 
spaces’ has the meaning given the term in section 
424. 
‘‘(b) TENANT STAR.—The Administrator of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Energy, shall develop a voluntary program 
within the Energy Star program established by section 
324A of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 
U.S.C. 6294a), which may be known as Tenant Star, to 
promote energy efficiency in separate spaces leased by ten-
ants or otherwise occupied within commercial buildings. 
‘‘(c) EXPANDING SURVEY DATA.—The Secretary of 
Energy, acting through the Administrator of the Energy 
Information Administration, shall— 
‘‘(1) collect, through each Commercial Build-
ings Energy Consumption Survey of the Energy In-
formation Administration that is conducted after the 
date of enactment of this section, data on— 
‘‘(A) categories of building occupancy that 
are known to consume significant quantities of 
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energy, such as occupancy by data centers, 
trading floors, and restaurants; and 
‘‘(B) other aspects of the property, build-
ing operation, or building occupancy determined 
by the Administrator of the Energy Information 
Administration, in consultation with the Admin-
istrator of the Environmental Protection Agen-
cy, to be relevant in lowering energy consump-
tion; 
‘‘(2) with respect to the first Commercial Build-
ings Energy Consumption Survey conducted after 
the date of enactment of this section, to the extent 
full compliance with the requirements of paragraph 
(1) is not feasible, conduct activities to develop the 
capability to collect such data and begin to collect 
such data; and 
‘‘(3) make data collected under paragraphs (1) 
and (2) available to the public in aggregated form 
and provide such data, and any associated results, to 
the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency for use in accordance with subsection (d). 
‘‘(d) RECOGNITION OF OWNERS AND TENANTS.— 
‘‘(1) OCCUPANCY-BASED
RECOGNITION.—Not 
later than 1 year after the date on which sufficient 
data is received pursuant to subsection (c), the Ad-
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ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
shall, following an opportunity for public notice and 
comment— 
‘‘(A) in a manner similar to the Energy 
Star rating system for commercial buildings, 
develop policies and procedures to recognize 
tenants in commercial buildings that voluntarily 
achieve high levels of energy efficiency in sepa-
rate spaces; 
‘‘(B) establish building occupancy cat-
egories eligible for Tenant Star recognition 
based on the data collected under subsection (c) 
and any other appropriate data sources; and 
‘‘(C) consider other forms of recognition 
for commercial building tenants or other occu-
pants that lower energy consumption in sepa-
rate spaces. 
‘‘(2) DESIGN- AND CONSTRUCTION-BASED REC-
OGNITION.—After the study required by section 
424(b) is completed, the Administrator of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, in consultation with 
the Secretary and following an opportunity for pub-
lic notice and comment, may develop a voluntary 
program to recognize commercial building owners 
and tenants that use high-performance energy effi-
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ciency measures in the design and construction of 
separate spaces.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
in section 1(b) of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 is amended by inserting after the item relat-
ing to section 424 (as added by section 103(b) of this Act) 
the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 425. Tenant Star program.’’. 
TITLE II—ENERGY EFFICIENT 
GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY 
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Energy Efficient Gov-
ernment Technology Act’’. 
SEC. 202. ENERGY-EFFICIENT AND ENERGY-SAVING INFOR-
MATION TECHNOLOGIES. 
Subtitle C of title V of the Energy Independence and 
Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110–140; 121 Stat. 
1661) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 530. ENERGY-EFFICIENT AND ENERGY-SAVING INFOR-
MATION TECHNOLOGIES. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budg-
et. 
‘‘(2) INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY.—The term 
‘information technology’ has the meaning given that 
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term in section 11101 of title 40, United States 
Code. 
‘‘(b) DEVELOPMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION STRAT-
EGY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this section, each Federal agency shall coordinate with 
the Director, the Secretary, and the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency to develop an implemen-
tation strategy (that includes best practices and measure-
ment and verification techniques) for the maintenance, 
purchase, and use by the Federal agency of energy-effi-
cient and energy-saving information technologies, taking 
into consideration the performance goals established under 
subsection (d). 
‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATION.—In developing an implemen-
tation strategy under subsection (b), each Federal agency 
shall consider— 
‘‘(1) advanced metering infrastructure; 
‘‘(2) energy-efficient data center strategies and 
methods of increasing asset and infrastructure utili-
zation; 
‘‘(3) advanced power management tools; 
‘‘(4) building information modeling, including 
building energy management; 
‘‘(5) secure telework and travel substitution 
tools; and 
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‘‘(6) mechanisms to ensure that the agency re-
alizes the energy cost savings brought about through 
increased efficiency and utilization. 
‘‘(d) PERFORMANCE GOALS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this section, the Di-
rector, in consultation with the Secretary, shall es-
tablish performance goals for evaluating the efforts 
of Federal agencies in improving the maintenance, 
purchase, and use of energy-efficient and energy-sav-
ing information technology. 
‘‘(2) BEST PRACTICES.—The Chief Information 
Officers Council established under section 3603 of 
title 44, United States Code, shall recommend best 
practices for the attainment of the performance 
goals, which shall include Federal agency consider-
ation of the use of— 
‘‘(A) energy savings performance con-
tracting; and 
‘‘(B) utility energy services contracting. 
‘‘(e) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(1) AGENCY REPORTS.—Each Federal agency 
shall include in the report of the agency under sec-
tion 527 a description of the efforts and results of 
the agency under this section. 
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