Articles Tagged with ''energy legislation''

Mayor Ed Murray applauded the Seattle City Council for passing building energy legislation that establishes policies aimed at driving energy efficiency and reducing climate impact. The legislation was first mentioned in Murray’s State of the City on Feb. 17.

Barring an act of Congress, the 30 percent federal tax credit for residential geothermal heat pump (GHP) systems will expire at the end of 2016. The industry is worried about what that means for the future.

The Tenant Star program will give tenants and building owners a way to work together to achieve significant energy savings in leased commercial spaces.

The 92 percent proposed standard is just one of the DOE’s rulemakings to be challenged recently by stakeholders, and it’s unlikely to be the last. 

The legislation, which many are calling symbolic, represents a victory and a large step in the right direction for both Congress and energy-efficiency advocates across the nation.

The Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015 aims to promote benchmarking and public disclosure of energy usage for buildings. While it is presently unclear if or how the disclosure of energy usage for buildings will be accessible to the public, the HVAC industry could greatly benefit from such legislation if that is indeed the case.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed S. 535, the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015, sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire. The two senators have been attempting to get an energy efficiency bill passed since 2011. This is a no-cost, no-mandate bill, previously passed by the Senate on March 27, 2015.

The bill would require a thorough analysis of any new proposed regulation, including a cost-benefit analysis. It also calls for increased public participation throughout the regulatory process.

DOE intends to issue 18 rulemakings affecting industry products and equipment. Of those, only five are scheduled for implementation after the current political administration leaves office. This means 13 rulemakings are likely to go into effect over the next two years.