July 9, 2014: ANSI Announces New Energy Efficiency Standardization Roadmap
Roadmap Details 125 Recommendations to Advance Standardization in the Built Environment
NEW YORK — With the release of its “Standardization Roadmap: Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment,” the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) said industry, government, standards developing organizations (SDOs), and other stakeholders now have a national framework for action and coordination on future energy efficiency standardization. Developed by the ANSI Energy Efficiency Standardization Coordination Collaborative (EESCC) — a cross-sector group chaired by representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Schneider Electric — the roadmap charts 125 recommendations to advance energy efficiency in the built environment.
According to the DOE, our nation’s buildings account for more than 70 percent of total U.S. electricity use and 40 percent of the nation’s total energy bill, at a cost of $400 billion dollars per year. With 20 percent or more of this energy wasted, comparable reductions in energy have the potential to save an estimated $80 billion annually. Standards, codes, and conformity assessment programs offer significant opportunities for energy and cost savings and improved energy efficiency capabilities for the nation’s buildings, said ANSI. The roadmap identifies a number of opportunities, detailing recommendations and timelines for action across five interrelated areas of focus: