Federal Operations and Maintenance Requirements
Federal laws and regulations require Federal agencies to seek operational efficiency through effective operations and maintenance (O&M). Advanced metering and measurement requirements are outlined below.
Guidance on these requirements is also provided below.
Additional requirements spanning energy intensity reductions, new construction and major renovations, renewable energy, and other topics are outlined on the Requirements and Guidance by Subject page.
Advanced Metering and Measurement Requirements
Multiple laws and regulations set advanced metering and measurement requirements for Federal agencies, including:
The Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005:
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Requires all Federal buildings to be metered by October 1, 2012, to ensure efficient energy use and reduce the cost of electricity used in Federal facilities. Advanced meters or metering devices must provide data at least daily and measure the consumption of electricity at least hourly. These devices must be used to the maximum extent practical.
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Requires Federal agencies to submit to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) an implementation plan identifying personnel responsible for achieving metering requirements, and any determination by the agency that advanced meters or metering systems are not practical in their specific situation.
The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 establishes a framework for facility project management and benchmarking. Agencies must identify all "covered facilities" that constitute at least 75% of the agency's facility energy use. An energy manager must be designated for each of these covered facilities. Each facility energy manager will be responsible for:
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Completing comprehensive energy and water evaluations of 25% of covered facilities each year, so that an evaluation of each facility is completed at least once every four years.
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Following up on implemented measures, including fully commissioning equipment, putting O&M plans in place, and measuring and verifying energy and water savings.
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Using a Web application from DOE to certify and track compliance for energy and water evaluations, project implementation and follow up measures, and estimated cost and savings. The Web application will be available to Congress, other Federal agencies, and the public, with some specific data exempted from disclosure for national security purposes.
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Entering energy use data for each metered building into a benchmarking system, such as the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. DOE must select or develop the benchmarking system and issue guidance for its use by December 19, 2008.
Additional requirements spanning energy intensity reductions, new construction and major renovations, renewable energy, water efficiency, greenhouse gases, and other topics are outlined separately.
Guidance
The following guidance resources are offered to help meet goals and requirements:
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Guidance for Electric Metering in Federal Buildings: Recommendations for energy managers on meeting metering requirements for Federal facilities
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Building Energy Use Benchmarking Guidance: Guidance for EISA 2007 Section 432 - Benchmarking of Federal Facilities.
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Facility Energy Management Guidelines and Criteria for Energy and Water Evaluations in Covered Facilities: Guidelines and criteria for meeting requirements within Section 432 of EISA 2007, including defining facilities covered by the provision, designating facility energy managers to ensure compliance, and conducting comprehensive energy and water evaluations.
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Interim Guidance for Initial Reporting of Findings from Comprehensive Energy and Water Evaluations of Covered Facilities: In the absence of the required Web-based system to collect information on agency findings from comprehensive evaluations in covered facilities, FEMP has prepared this Interim Guidance and Initial Findings Reporting spreadsheet for agencies to report initial findings. This allows agencies to meet the action item on their OMB Energy Management Scorecards to report findings of comprehensive evaluations at their covered facilities.
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Guidelines Establishing Criteria for Excluding Buildings from the Energy Performance Requirements of Section 543 of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act as Amended by EPAct 2005: The Secretary of Energy's guidelines that establish criteria for exclusions from the energy performance requirement for a fiscal year, or any Federal building or collection of Federal buildings within the statutory framework provided by the law.