Moniz vows to help advance big efficiency bill, sees "real chance"

[FBaggins]

“Let me just say off the bat that I have been working these problems for quite a while, I have never seen a credible solution to the climate risk mitigation challenge, to reach the kinds of goals we need to reach, without the demand side playing a very, very important part in that,” Moniz said at the EE Global 2013 conference hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy.

“Efficiency is going to be a big focus as we go forward,” he said.

...snip...

The Shaheen-Portman plan, which sailed through the Senate’s energy panel with bipartisan support recently, contains an array of provisions to boost efficiency in buildings by improving codes, workforce training and other steps. It also contains measures to help manufacturing plants become more efficient and boost conservation within the federal government itself.

Moniz, in vowing to prioritize energy efficiency, also said he would seek to address a backlog of product efficiency standards in development, among other actions. He said that the economic benefit of standards already enacted over the last four years is very large

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/301033-moniz-vows-to-help-advance-big-efficiency-bill-sees-real-chance

[kristopher]

1. Efficiency Bill Could Be a ‘Poison Pill’ for LEED Green Building Standards

"... a proposed amendment is dampening enthusiasm for the bill over at the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC), the organization responsible for the popular LEED rating system for green buildings.

Sources say that Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) may introduce an amendment in the bill that would prevent the General Services Administration (GSA) from using green building rating systems that are not certified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Because LEED is not ANSI-certified, the bill would effectively ban the system from the federal procurement process. The GSA manages nearly 10,000 federal buildings and is one of the primary drivers of energy efficiency in the federal government.

ANSI standards create a "consensus-based" process for developing rating systems. Many of the industries impacted by green building standards -- chemicals, plastics and lumber, for example -- prefer a consensus-based approach that is more likely to establish friendlier standards.

The LEED system is different, but also democratic. When crafting new standards, the USGBC records all public comments. And when it's time to vote, the 13,000 member companies and organizations all get an individual say. A super-majority of 66 percent is required to create or change a standard, and there must be a 50 percent approval in three related sub-categories. However, some industry organizations worry that the LEED system is too strict and are pushing for alternative rating systems that would give them a stronger voice -- hence the amendment in the Shaheen-Portman bill now on the table...."

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/federal-efficiency-bill-could-hold-poison-pill-for-leed-green-building-stan?utm_source=Daily&utm_medium=Headline&utm_campaign=GTMDaily

[cprise]

2. My Verizon DVR box is glaring at me

...consuming its 35W of power whether its on or "off".