Smart Building Acceleration Act

Bill: 114-hr-2564
Sponsor: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large]
Introduced: 2015-05-21 in the House
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Building construction
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
Department of Veterans Affairs
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy research
Energy storage, supplies, demand
General Services Administration
Government Operations and Politics
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government studies and investigations
Public-private cooperation
Research and development

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-21
text: 

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.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-08-18
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
action_date: 2015-05-22
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
action_date: 2015-05-22
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.
action_date: 2015-05-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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: 2015-05-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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: 2015-05-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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: 2015-05-21
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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: 2015-05-21
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-05-21
text: Introduced in House