Bill 113-S-761 — Energy / Conservation
Subject: Energy

Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 - Title I: Buildings - Subtitle A: Building Energy Codes - (Sec. 101) Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act (ECPA) to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) encourage and support the adoption by states, Indian tribes, and local governments of building energy codes that meet or exceed the model building energy codes; and (2) support full compliance with state and local codes.

Defines "model building energy code" to mean a voluntary building energy code and standards developed and updated through a consensus process among interested persons, such as the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) or the code used by the Council of American Building Officials, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or other appropriate organizations.

Sets forth provisions concerning requirements for states and Indian tribes to certify whether: (1) they have updated their codes, (2) their codes meet or exceed the energy savings of the updated model building energy code or the energy saving targets established by this Act, and (3) they have achieved full compliance with building energy codes.

Requires the Secretary to report annually on: (1) the status of national model building energy codes, (2) the status of code adoption and compliance by states and Indian tribes, (3) implementation of such updated codes, and (4) improvements in energy savings over time as a result of such targets.

Requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to states and Indian tribes to implement requirements concerning updating such codes.

Directs the Secretary to provide incentive funding to states and Indian tribes to: (1) implement this Act's requirements, (2) improve and implement building energy codes, and (3) promote building energy efficiency through the use of such codes.

Requires the Secretary to provide technical and financial support for the development of stretch codes and advanced standards for buildings for use as: (1) an option for adoption as a building energy code by local, tribal, or state governments; and (2) guidelines for energy-efficient building design. Requires such stretch codes and advanced standards to be designed to: (1) achieve substantial energy savings compared to the model building energy codes; and (2) meet such targets, if available, at least three to six years in advance of such target years. Requires the Secretary to study the feasibility, impact, economics, and merit of: (1) code improvements that would require that buildings be designed, sited, and constructed in a manner that makes the buildings more adaptable in the future to become zero-net-energy buildings after initial construction; (2) code procedures to incorporate measured lifetimes, not just first-year energy use, in trade-offs and performance calculations; and (3) legislative options for increasing energy savings from building energy codes, including additional incentives for effective state and local action, and verification of compliance with and enforcement of a code other than by a state or local government. Extends the authorization of appropriations for updating state building energy efficiency codes and supporting model building energy codes. Requires the Secretary to work with states, Indian tribes, local governments, and nationally recognized code and standards developers to support the updating of such codes by establishing aggregate energy savings targets. Authorizes the Secretary to establish separate targets for commercial and residential buildings. Establishes as the baseline for updating such codes the 2009 IECC for residential buildings and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2010 for commercial buildings.

Requires targets for specific years to be established and revised by the Secretary and coordinated with nationally recognized code and standards developers at a level that: (1) is at the maximum level of energy efficiency that is technologically feasible and life-cycle cost effective, while accounting for economic considerations; (2) is higher than the preceding target; and (3) promotes the achievement of high-performance buildings through high performance energy efficiency.

Requires the Secretary to establish initial targets within a year. Requires the Secretary to develop and adjust such targets in recognition of potential savings and costs relating to: (1) efficiency gains made in appliances, lighting, windows, insulation, and building envelope sealing; (2) advancement of distributed generation and on-site renewable power generation technologies; (3) equipment improvements for heating, cooling, and ventilation systems; (4) building management systems and SmartGrid technologies to reduce energy use; and (5) other technologies, practices, and building systems that the Secretary considers appropriate regarding building plug load and other energy uses. Requires the Secretary to consider the economic feasibility of achieving such targets and the potential costs and savings for consumers and building owners.

Requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to model code-setting and standard development organizations.

Requires the Secretary, if the provisions of the IECC or ASHRAE Standard 90.1 regarding building energy use are revised, to make a final determination within 15 months after such revision on whether the revision will improve energy efficiency in buildings compared to the existing national model building energy code and meet such targets.

Prohibits any model building code or standard established under this title from being binding on a state, local government, or Indian tribe. Subtitle B: Worker Training and Capacity Building - (Sec. 111) Directs the Secretary to provide grants to institutions of higher education and Tribal Colleges or Universities to establish Building Training and Assessment Centers to: (1) identify opportunities for optimizing energy efficiency and environmental performance in buildings; (2) promote the application of emerging concepts and technologies in commercial and institutional buildings; (3) train engineers, architects, building scientists, building energy permitting and enforcement officials, and building technicians in energy-efficient design and operation; (4) assist such entities in training building technicians; (5) promote research and development for the use of alternative energy sources and distributed generation to supply heat and power for buildings; and (6) coordinate with and assist state-accredited technical training centers, community colleges, Tribal Colleges or Universities, and local offices of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and ensure services are provided to each U.S. region. Requires such building, training, and centers to be collocated with Industrial Assessment Centers. Title II: Private Commercial Building Efficiency Financing - Requires the Secretary to establish the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Financing Initiative to provide grants to states to establish or expand programs to promote the financing of energy efficiency retrofit projects for private sector and commercial buildings. Authorizes appropriations for such Initiative. Requires the Secretary, as part of such Initiative, to conduct large commercial building efficiency financing initiatives to encourage states to promote financing of energy efficiency retrofit projects for larger private sector commercial, multi-family, and mixed use buildings. Authorizes appropriations for such Initiative.

Title III: Industrial Efficiency and Competitiveness - Subtitle A: Manufacturing Energy Efficiency - (Sec. 302) Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to rename the Energy-intensive Industries Program as the Future of Industry Program.

Requires the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to expedite consideration of applications from eligible small businesses for loans under the Small Business Act to implement recommendations of institutions of higher education-based industrial research and assessment centers.

(Sec. 303) Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require the Secretary, as part of DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, to carry out: (1) a sustainable manufacturing initiative under which the Secretary will conduct onsite technical assessments at the request of a manufacturer to identify opportunities for maximizing the energy efficiency of industrial processes and cross-cutting systems, preventing pollution and minimizing waste, improving efficient use of water in manufacturing processes, and conserving natural resources; and (2) an industry-government partnership program to research, develop, and demonstrate new sustainable manufacturing and industrial technologies and processes that maximize the energy efficiency of industrial plants, reduce pollution, and conserve natural resources.

Subtitle B: Supply Star - (Sec. 311) Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to establish within DOE a Supply Star program to identify and promote practices, and recognize companies and products, that use highly efficient supply chains in a manner that conserves energy, water, and other resources. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants or other incentives for entities to: (1) study supply chain energy resource efficiency, and (2) demonstrate and achieve reductions in the energy resource consumption of commercial products through changes and improvements to the production supply and distribution chain of the products. Requires the Secretary to use funds to support professional training programs to develop and communicate methods, practices, and tools for improving supply chain efficiency. Prohibits: (1) climate change from being a factor in determining supply chain efficiency, and (2) outsourcing of American jobs in the production of a product from counting as a positive factor in determining such efficiency. Extends appropriations for such program for FY2014-FY2023.

Subtitle C: Electric Motor Rebate Program - (Sec. 321) Directs the Secretary to establish a rebate program for expenditures for the purchase and installation of a new constant speed electric motor control that reduces motor energy use by at least 5%.

Subtitle D: Transformer Rebate Program - (Sec. 331) Requires the Secretary to establish a program under which rebates are provided for expenditures made by owners of industrial or manufacturing facilities, commercial buildings, and multifamily residential buildings for the purchase and installation of a qualified new energy efficient transformer (a transformer that meets or exceeds the National Electrical Manufacturers Association [NEMA] Premium Efficiency designation as having 30% percent or fewer losses than the NEMA TP-1-2002 efficiency standard for a transformer of the same number of phases and capacity). Specifies rebate amounts of: (1) between $5 and $15 for three-phase transformers, depending on capacity; and (2) 75% of such amounts for single-phase transformers of the same capacities. Terminates such program on December 31, 2015. Title IV: Federal Agency Energy Efficiency - (Sec. 401) Directs the Secretary to issue guidance for federal agencies to employ advanced tools promoting energy efficiency and energy savings through the use of information and communications technologies. Requires each federal agency to report to the Secretary on: (1) its plans for implementing such guidance within the agency, and (2) estimated energy and financial savings from employing such tools.

(Sec. 402) Authorizes the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), for any building project for which congressional approval has been received and the design completed but the construction of which has not begun, to use appropriated funds to update the building's design to meet energy efficiency and other standards for new federal buildings. Prohibits funds for such purpose from exceeding 125% of the estimated energy or other cost savings associated with the updates as determined by a life-cycle cost analysis under the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA).

(Sec. 403) Amends NECPA to include as: (1) an authorized activity under utility incentive programs, measures to support the use of natural gas vehicles and electric vehicles or the fueling or charging infrastructure necessary for such vehicles, and (2) an "energy or water conservation measure" that is eligible for energy savings performance contracts, a measure to support the use of such vehicles or infrastructure.

(Sec. 404) Requires the Administrator for the Office of E-Government and Information Technology within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to develop and publish a goal for the total amount of planned energy and cost savings and increased productivity by the government through the consolidation of federal data centers during the next five years. Title V: Miscellaneous - (Sec. 501) Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reduce funding for the zero net energy commercial buildings initiative for FY 2014-FY2017.