NEMA Responds to Senate Passage of Energy Efficiency Provisions

National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) recently commended the Senate for passing several energy efficiency amendments to HR 4850, the Enabling Energy Saving Innovations Act, before the chamber adjourned for the election.

“NEMA is committed to saving energy and saving lives.  We are pleased with the Senate’s passage of these bipartisan and commonsense energy saving measures,” said NEMA President and CEO Evan R. Gaddis.  “In particular, we are grateful for the tireless leadership Senators Bingaman, Shaheen, and Portman have displayed throughout the 112th Congress. 

“Using our energy resources more efficiently is a cause that everyone can get behind, and we encourage the House to take up this legislation when they return after the November elections,” he added. 

The provisions offered by Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) would:

• Require the Department of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with the Department of Defense and the General Services Administration, to develop and issue an annual best-practices report on advanced metering of energy use in federal facilities.
• Require DOE to conduct a study within one year of the legal, regulatory, and economic barriers in all electricity markets for deployment of industrial efficiency technologies such as electric motors, demand response, direct or indirect combined heat and power, and waste heat recovery, and to provide policy recommendations for overcoming these barriers.  Issues to be studied include transmission and distribution interconnection requirements, net metering, and calculation of avoided cost rates. 
• Clarify the factors the Secretary of Energy must consider as part of the economic justification for any new minimum efficiency standard under the residential appliance and commercial equipment energy conservation program.
• Direct DOE to establish an advisory steering committee to provide recommendations on planning and implementation of the Advanced Manufacturing Office, including national trade associations representing energy service providers.
• Require DOE to conduct a feasibility study on government-wide data centers as preparation for closing a minimum of 800 Federal data centers by October 1, 2015.

Read NEMA’s summary of important provisions included in the Shaheen-Portman amendment here.

NEMA has issued a public statement to 2012 presidential and congressional candidates outlining proposals that create a more secure, energy-efficient, and healthy future for the country and its citizens.  A copy of "Saving Energy & Saving Lives" is available on the NEMA website.