Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-2177
Sponsor: Rep. McKinley, David B. [R-WV-1]
Introduced: 2015-04-30 in the House
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advisory bodies
Alternative and renewable resources
Building construction
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Department of Energy
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy prices
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental technology
General Services Administration
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Housing finance and home ownership
Industrial facilities
Licensing and registrations
Lighting and heating
Lighting, heating, cooling
Manufacturing
Materials
Performance measurement
Product safety and quality
Public contracts and procurement
Public utilities and utility rates
Real estate business
Research and development
Residential rehabilitation and home repair
Science and engineering education
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-30
text: 

Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2015

 
This bill revises a variety of programs to encourage energy efficiency in buildings, industry, the federal government, and certain appliances.
 
States and Indian tribes must measure their compliance with certain residential and commercial building energy codes. The Department of Energy (DOE) must: (1) provide technical assistance and incentive funding to implement building energy codes, and (2) establish energy saving targets for updating model building energy codes. 
 
DOE must: (1) provide grants to establish building training and assessment centers at institutions of higher education, and (2) establish a process to recognize schools for implementing energy efficient and renewable energy projects and assisting initiation of similar efforts.
 
The General Services Administration must develop model leasing provisions and best practices to encourage building owners and tenants to use greater cost-effective energy efficiency measures in commercial buildings. 
 
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must develop a Tenant Star program to recognize tenants of spaces in commercial buildings who voluntarily achieve high levels of energy efficiency. 
 
DOE may make awards to utilities, utility regulators, and utility partners to develop and implement programs to provide aggregated whole building energy consumption information to multitenant building owners. 
 
The energy-intensive industries program is renamed the future of industry program. 
 
DOE must: (1) conduct on-site technical assessments at the request of a manufacturer to identify opportunities for maximizing energy efficiency, prevent pollution and minimize waste, improve efficient use of water in manufacturing processes, and conserve natural resources; and (2) carry out an industry-government partnership program to research, develop, and demonstrate new sustainable manufacturing and industrial technologies and processes. 
 
A Supply Star program is established within DOE to identify and promote practices, recognize companies, and recognize products that use highly efficient supply chains that conserve energy, water, and other resources. 
 
DOE must establish rebate programs for expenditures for purchasing and installing certain: (1) electric motors with controls that reduce energy use, and (2) energy efficient transformers. 
 
This bill revises requirements concerning the energy performance of federal buildings, certification under the Energy Star Program, certification of green buildings, energy efficiency in federal real estate transactions and programs, and verification of compliance with energy conservation standards for certain appliances. 
 
The Department of Housing and Urban Development must establish a demonstration program for energy and water conservation improvements at multifamily residential units. 
 
Energy conservation standards are established for grid-enabled water heaters for use as part of an electric thermal storage or demand response program (a program that enables customers to reduce or shift their power use during peak demand periods).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-08-18
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.
action_date: 2015-05-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
action_date: 2015-05-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.
action_date: 2015-04-30
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Financial Services, 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: 2015-04-30
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Financial Services, 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: 2015-04-30
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Financial Services, 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: 2015-04-30
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Financial Services, 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: 2015-04-30
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Financial Services, 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: 2015-04-30
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Financial Services, 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: 2015-04-30
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Financial Services, 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: 2015-04-30
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-30
text: Introduced in House