Title: Smart Building Acceleration Act of 2019
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Smart Building Acceleration Act of 2019
This bill assists the building sector in adopting smart building technology that increases energy efficiency. Smart buildings are buildings with energy systems that (1) are flexible and automated; (2) have extensive operational monitoring and communication connectivity, allowing remote monitoring and analysis of building functions; (3) take a systems-based approach in integrating the overall building operations for control of energy generation, consumption, and storage; (4) communicate with utilities and other third-party commercial entities, if appropriate; (5) protect the health and safety of occupants and workers; and (6) are cybersecure.
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a Federal Smart Building Program. Under the program, DOE must implement smart building technology in certain federal buildings and demonstrate the costs and benefits of smart buildings.
DOE may expand awards made under the Federal Energy Management Program and the Better Building Challenge to recognize specific federal agency achievements in accelerating the adoption of smart building technologies.
In addition, DOE must conduct (1) a survey of privately owned smart buildings throughout the United States and evaluate their costs and benefits, and (2) research and development on barriers to the integration of advanced building technologies. As part of the Better Building Challenge, DOE must demonstrate policies and approaches that accelerate the transition to smart buildings.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2335 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2335

   To accelerate smart building development, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 30, 2019

Ms. Cantwell (for herself and Ms. Smith) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To accelerate smart building development, and for other purposes.

    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 of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the building sector uses more than 40 percent of the 
        energy of the United States;
            (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 the emerging technologies, promote the adoption of the 
        technologies, and accelerate the transition to the 
        technologies;
            (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) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Energy.
            (2) Program.--The term ``program'' means the Federal Smart 
        Building Program established under section 4(a).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            (4) Smart building.--The term ``smart building'' means a 
        building, or collection of buildings, 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) takes a systems-based approach in integrating 
                the overall building operations for control of energy 
                generation, consumption, and storage;
                    (D) communicates with utilities and other third-
                party commercial entities, if appropriate;
                    (E) protects the health and safety of occupants and 
                workers; and
                    (F) is cybersecure.
            (5) Smart building accelerator.--The term ``smart building 
        accelerator'' means an initiative that is designed to 
        demonstrate specific innovative policies and approaches--
                    (A) with clear goals and a clear timeline; and
                    (B) that, on successful demonstration, would 
                accelerate investment in energy efficiency.

SEC. 4. FEDERAL SMART BUILDING PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the 
Administrator of General Services, establish a program to be known as 
the ``Federal Smart Building Program''--
            (1) to implement smart building technology; and
            (2) to demonstrate the costs and benefits of smart 
        buildings.
    (b) Selection.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall coordinate the 
        selection of not fewer than 1 building from among each of 
        several key Federal agencies, as described in subsection (d), 
        to compose an appropriately diverse set of smart buildings 
        based on size, type, and geographic location.
            (2) Inclusion of commercially operated buildings.--In 
        making selections under paragraph (1), the Secretary may 
        include buildings that are owned by the Federal Government but 
        are commercially operated.
    (c) Targets.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall establish targets for the number of 
smart buildings to be commissioned and evaluated by key Federal 
agencies by 3 years and 6 years after the date of enactment of this 
Act.
    (d) Federal Agency Described.--The key Federal agencies referred to 
subsection (b)(1) shall include buildings operated by--
            (1) the Department of the Army;
            (2) the Department of the Navy;
            (3) the Department of the Air Force;
            (4) the Department of Energy;
            (5) the Department of the Interior;
            (6) the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
            (7) the General Services Administration.
    (e) Requirement.--In implementing the program, the Secretary shall 
leverage existing financing mechanisms including energy savings 
performance contracts, utility energy service contracts, and annual 
appropriations.
    (f) 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;
                            (iii) reducing environmental impacts; and
                            (iv) establishing cybersecurity; and
            (2) any other information the Secretary determines to be 
        appropriate.
    (g) Awards.--The Secretary may expand awards made under the Federal 
Energy Management Program and the Better Building Challenge to 
recognize specific agency achievements in accelerating the adoption of 
smart building technologies.

SEC. 5. SURVEY OF PRIVATE SECTOR SMART BUILDINGS.

    (a) Survey.--The Secretary shall conduct a survey of privately 
owned smart buildings throughout the United States, including 
commercial buildings, laboratory facilities, hospitals, multifamily 
residential 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 not fewer than 1 building 
each from an appropriate range of building sizes, types, and geographic 
locations.
    (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 and systems--
                    (A) are most cost-effective; and
                    (B) show the most promise for--
                            (i) increasing building energy savings;
                            (ii) increasing service performance to 
                        building occupants;
                            (iii) reducing environmental impacts; and
                            (iv) establishing cybersecurity; 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, the Secretary, in consultation with major 
private sector property owners, shall develop smart building 
accelerators to demonstrate innovative policies and approaches that 
will accelerate the transition to smart buildings in the public, 
institutional, and commercial buildings sectors.
    (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) achieving whole-building, systems-level 
                efficiency through smart system and component 
                integration;
                    (B) improving physical components, such as sensors 
                and controls, to be adaptive, anticipatory, and 
                networked;
                    (C) reducing the cost of key components to 
                accelerate the adoption of smart building technologies;
                    (D) data management, including the capture and 
                analysis of data and the interoperability of the energy 
                systems;
                    (E) protecting against cybersecurity threats and 
                addressing security vulnerabilities of building systems 
                or equipment;
                    (F) business models, including how business models 
                may limit the adoption of smart building technologies 
                and how to support transactive energy;
                    (G) integration and application of combined heat 
                and power systems and energy storage for resiliency;
                    (H) characterization of buildings and components;
                    (I) consumer and utility protections;
                    (J) continuous management, including the challenges 
                of managing multiple energy systems and optimizing 
                systems for disparate stakeholders; and
                    (K) other areas of research and development, as 
                determined appropriate by the Secretary.

SEC. 7. REPORT.

    Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and 
every 2 years thereafter until a total of 3 reports have been made, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives a report on--
            (1) the establishment of the Federal Smart Building Program 
        and the evaluation of Federal smart buildings under section 4;
            (2) the survey and evaluation of private sector smart 
        buildings under section 5; and
            (3) any recommendations of the Secretary to further 
        accelerate the transition to smart buildings.
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