House energy subcommitee examines public-private partnerships for federal energy management
The House Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing Wednesday on increasing energy efficiency savings and energy conservation in federal facilities and programs through Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESCPs) and Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESCs).
The subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), examined the status, challenges, and opportunities related to these programs.
“In order to stay on the cutting edge, Congress may need to consider changes to the statute to enable agencies to capture the cost savings offered through the most innovative energy conservation tools,” Upton said.
Upton suggested that Congress consider the definitions of ‘federal building’ and ‘energy savings,’ how energy efficiency upgrades affect the life-cycle cost of operations and maintenance of a facility and how to harmonize the program with other federal programs and goals.
Leslie Nicholls, strategic director of the Federal Energy Management Program at the Department of Energy (DOE); Jack Surash, acting deputy assistant secretary for energy and sustainability for the Department of the Army; Kevin Kampschroer, chief sustainability officer and director of the Office of Federal High-Performance Buildings at the General Services Administration; and Ed Bradley, executive director of the Office of Asset Enterprise Management for the Department of Veterans Affairs provided testimony at the hearing.
Bradley discussed how ESPCs and UESCs are supporting infrastructure upgrades at Veterans Affairs facilities across the country and enhancing the resiliency and reliability of these facilities.
“Through its combined energy and water management efforts, and in spite of a growing building footprint and increasing patient load, VA has reduced energy consumption intensity by 33 percent since 2003, and has decreased water consumption intensity by 30 percent since 2007,” Bradley said in his testimony. “In FY 2017, VA paid an estimated 40 percent less in utility bills than they would have otherwise due to the energy and water management efforts VA has undertaken since 2003.”
Rep. Pete Olsen (R-TX) invested $47 million investment in new heat and power projects at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) in his district, enabled in part by a DOE AFFECT grant, the mission control center to stay open during Hurricane Harvey.
“The NASA Johnson Space Center project can certainly be a model for other federal agencies as a case study and as a way to accomplish a great deal,” Nicholls said.
