Smart Energy Act

Bill: 112-hr-4017
Sponsor: Rep. Bass, Charles F. [R-NH-2]
Introduced: 2012-02-14 in the House
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advanced technology and technological innovations
Computers and information technology
Department of Energy
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy research
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Industrial facilities
Lighting, heating, cooling
Public contracts and procurement
Research and development
Technology transfer and commercialization
User charges and fees
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2012-02-14
text: 
Smart Energy Act -Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA) to direct each federal agency to implement requirements for the use of energy and water efficiency measures in federal buildings through private financing instead of appropriations, unless: (1) to do so conflicts with the primary mission of the agency or facility, or (2) if greater cost savings can be generated under a different program
 
Requires a federal agency, in carrying out energy management requirements, to participate in demand response programs offered by electric utilities, Independent System Operators, Regional Transmission Organizations, and demand response aggregators, where such programs are available, in order to support electric grid reliability and security and reduce energy bills for the agency or facility.
 
Directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to direct the Federal Chief Information Officer to require: (1) agencies, when updating their federal data center inventories in the third quarter of each fiscal year, to state what actions have been taken to verify the inventories; (2) the agencies to complete the missing elements in their respective federal data center consolidation plans and submit them; and (3) the Data Center Consolidation Task Force to assess such plans to ensure they are complete and to monitor their implementation as well.
 
Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to issue guidelines for federal agencies to employ advanced tools allowing energy savings through the use of computer hardware, energy efficiency software, and power management tools.
 
Amends NECPA to require federal agencies to create an implementation plan for achieving requirements for advanced metering of energy use in federal facilities, buildings, and equipment.
 
Requires the energy manager, for each facility meeting certain criteria, to use the web-based tracking system to publish energy and water consumption data on an individual facility basis. 
 
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to establish a loan program for energy efficiency upgrades to existing buildings.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish collaborative research and development partnerships with other programs within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, and the Office of Science that: (1) leverage the research and development expertise of those programs to promote early stage energy efficiency technology development; (2) support the use of innovative manufacturing processes and applied research for development, demonstration, and commercialization of new technologies and processes to improve efficiency, reduce emissions, reduce industrial waste, and improve industrial cost-competitiveness; and (3) apply the knowledge and expertise of the Advanced Manufacturing Office to help achieve the program goals of the other programs.
 
States that it is the goal of the United States to achieve by the end of 2020 a doubling of the production of electricity from combined heat and power and waste heat recovery in the United States from the current level of approximately 85 to at least 170 gigawatts.
 
Directs the Secretary to transmit to Congress, make available to the public, and update biennially a strategic plan to achieve this national goal. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-02-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.
action_date: 2012-02-14
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-02-14
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-02-14
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-02-14
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2012-02-14
text: Introduced in House