Energy Efficiency Legislation
Here is a really good summary I came across of the legislation that is part of the Climate Act currently being voted on in the House. It is from the Energy Efficiency website (see blog list on the right)
Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance
(REEP)
Rationale
Buildings consume 39% of all energy used in the United States and generate about 10% of current global carbon emissions. While new buildings can be designed for greater efficiency, energy retrofits using existing technologies can maximize the efficiency of older structures and reduce their energy consumption by 25% or more. Retrofitting existing buildings is a cost-effective way to cut carbon emissions and create jobs, with every dollar invested in efficiency improvements saving consumers and businesses an average of $4.
Program Goals
The REEP program is a national initiative to provide direct cash incentives for retrofitting existing buildings, with the goal of cutting energy use by 20% or more and significantly reducing residential and commercial water use.
Financial Incentives
The program will support per-building direct incentives for efficiency improvements compared to the building’s previous energy use, capped at 50% of retrofit costs. Properties achieving at least 20% energy savings will be eligible to receive additional incentives for efficient water use.
For Homes:
- $1,000 for prescriptive measures designed to reduce energy consumption by at least 10%, or $2,000 for measures designed to reduce consumption by 20%
- $3,000 for demonstrated savings of 20%, plus an additional $1,000 for each additional 5% in additional energy savings achieved
For Commercial Buildings:
- $0.15 max. per square foot of retrofit area for energy use reductions from 20% to 30%
- $0.75 per square foot for energy use reductions from 30% to 40%
- $1.60 per square foot for energy use reductions from 40% to 50%
- $2.50 per square foot for energy use reductions exceeding 50%
The program also will allow states to use REEP funds to implement alternate financial incentive structures, such as credit enhancement, interest rate subsidies or other traditional credit support; public revolving-fund financing of retrofits with repayments by beneficiary building owners over time; or to support qualified utility-operated retrofit programs.
Standards
The REEP program requires RESNET certification (or the equivalent) for all energy and environment auditors, inspectors and raters, and state licensing or BPI certification (or the equivalent) for all energy and environmental retrofit contractors. State energy offices will be required to apply standards for training, contractor certification, building certification and post-retrofit inspection. Regular audits of the program are required.
