Bipartisan Energy Bill Includes Ayotte Measure to Boost Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) today helped reintroduce bipartisan legislation - the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act - aimed at boosting greater energy efficiency across the public and private sectors. The bill, authored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH), includes legislation authored by Senator Ayotte and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) that encourages tenants of commercial buildings to implement cost-effective measures to help reduce energy consumption and utility costs for businesses.

"Commercial tenants have an essential role to play in managing energy efficient buildings, and this no cost proposal gives them an incentive to voluntarily implement cost-effective measures to responsibly reduce energy consumption," said Senator Ayotte. "Creating a voluntary "Tenant Star' certification would recognize commercial tenants who are committed to operating energy-efficient spaces, and I will continue to work across party lines to advance this common sense legislation."

The provision incorporates language from an Ayotte stand-alone bill - the "Better Buildings Act" - that seeks to increase energy efficiency in commercial buildings by encouraging tenants to voluntarily implement cost-effective measures to reduce energy consumption and utility costs. The legislation would create a new voluntary "Tenant Star" certification to recognize tenants who operate energy efficient leased spaces. It's estimated that tenants use 50 percent or more of the energy in all office buildings.

In addition to the "Tenant Star" designation, the amendment asks the Department of Energy to study and learn from private sector best practices of how commercially-leased spaces are designed to achieve high performance and help reduce utility costs for businesses.

Ayotte's legislation has been endorsed by dozens of organizations from the real estate sector, construction industry and environmental advocacy arena, including the American Institute of Architects, the National Association of Home Builders, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club, the Real Estate Roundtable, and the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act promotes the use of low-cost tools to boost energy efficiency technologies in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of our economy. It also includes measures that would require the federal government to adopt energy efficiency techniques for computers and update energy efficiency plans for new federal buildings.

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