Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2015
This bill revises a variety of programs to encourage energy efficiency in buildings, industry, the federal government, and certain appliances.
States and Indian tribes must measure their compliance with certain residential and commercial building energy codes. The Department of Energy (DOE) must: (1) provide technical assistance and incentive funding to implement building energy codes, and (2) establish energy saving targets for updating model building energy codes.
DOE must: (1) provide grants to establish building training and assessment centers at institutions of higher education, and (2) establish a process to recognize schools for implementing energy efficient and renewable energy projects and assisting initiation of similar efforts.
The General Services Administration must develop model leasing provisions and best practices to encourage building owners and tenants to use greater cost-effective energy efficiency measures in commercial buildings.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must develop a Tenant Star program to recognize tenants of spaces in commercial buildings who voluntarily achieve high levels of energy efficiency.
DOE may make awards to utilities, utility regulators, and utility partners to develop and implement programs to provide aggregated whole building energy consumption information to multitenant building owners.
The energy-intensive industries program is renamed the future of industry program.
DOE must: (1) conduct on-site technical assessments at the request of a manufacturer to identify opportunities for maximizing energy efficiency, prevent pollution and minimize waste, improve efficient use of water in manufacturing processes, and conserve natural resources; and (2) carry out an industry-government partnership program to research, develop, and demonstrate new sustainable manufacturing and industrial technologies and processes.
A Supply Star program is established within DOE to identify and promote practices, recognize companies, and recognize products that use highly efficient supply chains that conserve energy, water, and other resources.
DOE must establish rebate programs for expenditures for purchasing and installing certain: (1) electric motors with controls that reduce energy use, and (2) energy efficient transformers.
This bill revises requirements concerning the energy performance of federal buildings, certification under the Energy Star Program, certification of green buildings, energy efficiency in federal real estate transactions and programs, and verification of compliance with energy conservation standards for certain appliances.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development must establish a demonstration program for energy and water conservation improvements at multifamily residential units.
Energy conservation standards are established for grid-enabled water heaters for use as part of an electric thermal storage or demand response program (a program that enables customers to reduce or shift their power use during peak demand periods).