Washington, District of Columbia — Stricter energy efficiency regulations are coming to the United States. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces that by 2025, new or newly renovated federal buildings must reduce on-site emissions by 90 per cent, relative to 2003 levels.
The new regulation aims to accelerate the electrification of the federal building stock by phasing out on-site fossil-fuel usage for end-uses, such as heating and water heating.
“Ridding pollution from our buildings and adopting clean electricity are some of the most cost-effective and future-oriented solutions we have to combat climate change,” said Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S secretary of energy.
According to the DOE, fossil fuels used in U.S. federal buildings account for over 25 per cent of all federal emissions. The DOE states that it expects that over the next 30 years, the new regulation would reduce carbon emissions from federal buildings by 1.86 million metric tons and methane emissions by 22.8 thousand tons — an amount roughly equivalent to the emissions generated by nearly 300,000 homes in one year.
If enacted within the proposed timeframe, DOE estimates that the new emission reduction requirements would save taxpayers $8 million annually in upfront equipment costs.
In 2030, the standard will fully decarbonize the on-site emissions in new federal buildings and major renovations.