ASHRAE Government Affairs Update, 8/5/2016
Posted by admin on Aug. 5, 2016 / Subscribe 0
US Federal Legislative & Regulatory Activities
- Request for Public Comment on Weatherization Assistance Program Guidance
- Energy Bill Conference Discussions Continue
- New Tool Tracks, Explores Paris Climate Agreement Ratification
- Public Comment Period Extended for EPA Proposed Design Details for Clean Energy Incentive Program
- DOE Calls for Submissions on EPC Projects to be Recognized at Annual US-China EE Forum
GGAC Regional and Chapter Activities
- Nominations Still Open for Grassroots Government Advocacy Award
- Open Meeting in NJ to Consider Raising Educational Requirements for PE Licensure
- City of Rockville Maryland Joins Growing List of Cities Requiring Building Benchmarking
- New Energy Efficiency Regulations Proposed in Delaware
US Federal Legislative & Regulatory Activities
For additional information on US federal and non-US global legislative and regulatory issues, please contact Mark Ames, ASHRAE’s Senior Manager of Federal Government Affairs, at [email protected].
Request for Public Comment on Weatherization Assistance Program Guidance
One of the United States’ largest energy efficiency programs, the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) is seeking public comment on its updated draft Health and Safety Guidance. Among other things, the draft Guidance includes matters related to energy conservation measures and their impact on health and safety, IAQ, air conditioning and heating system installation and repair. One notable quote from the draft Guidance is:
“Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) identified as cost-effective by the DOE-approved audit or priority list may not be skipped due to H&S [health & safety] issues. The identified H&S hazards must be addressed according to this guidance and the ECM installed. If the H&S hazards cannot be adequately addressed to allow installation of the ECM, the work scope may not include any ECMs with a lower SIR [savings-to-investment ratio].”
ASHRAE Standard 62.2 is referenced in the draft Guidance in the following manner:
“ASHRAE 62.2 and Variances:
“Implementation of ASHRAE 62.2 is required. Client refusal of mechanical ventilation, when evaluated and called for pursuant to the Standard, must result in deferral. If the Grantee proposes to make changes to ASHRAE 62.2, they must submit a variance request. If the Grantee chooses to request a variance, they must provide scientific justification specific to their housing stock and local considerations in their Annual Plan submittal for DOE to consider during plan review. Plans lacking sufficient justification, or containing inadequate justification (as determined by DOE), shall not be approved and must be amended. For variance approvals concerning ASHRAE 62.2, DOE is the AHJ.”
Comments are due by August 29, 2016. To view the Federal Register notice, please click here. To view the draft Guidance, please click here.
Energy Bill Conference Discussions Continue
While Members of Congress are back home meeting with constituents and attending various events, on Capitol Hill conference committee-related talks are continuing on the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act (S.2012), as conferees convey their priorities and begin the process of developing a final bill that won’t draw President Barack Obama’s veto. (Clickhere for the document that spells out the areas of greatest concern for President Obama. See the second paragraph of the first page for Mr. Obama’s take on building energy codes.)
ASHRAE has been educating Congressional staff on the Society’s own priorities, which include support for the building energy codes provisions of the bipartisan Senate-passed version of S.2012, the Sensible Accounting to Value Energy (SAVE) Act, reauthorization of the State Energy Program and Weatherization Assistance Program, and encouraging the inclusion of language supporting energy and water efficiency, energy service performance contracting, utility energy service contracting, and smart buildings.
Aside from the energy bill talks, the halls of Congress are mostly quiet for the moment.
New Tool Tracks, Explores Paris Climate Agreement Ratification
The Paris Climate Agreement is a main driver of global discussions on climate change mitigation and energy efficiency, yet the details of the Agreement itself and the conditions under which it goes into force can be a little challenging to understand. For instance, many may believe that when the Agreement was historically adopted last year by nations around the world in Paris that the next step is for countries to simply implement steps to comply, however this is not the case – more actions are needed.
Acknowledging the need for clarity, a new tool has been developed that tracks which and how many countries have formally ratified the Paris Climate Agreement. This interactive tool allows you to hover over countries and view information on whether they signed and the percentage of their global emissions. You can even select different countries to explore scenarios that would result in the enforcement threshold being met.
For the Agreement to take effect at least 55 countries representing at least 55% of global GHG emissions must sign-on. Currently there's quite a long way to go (22 countries presenting about 1% of emissions have ratified), but many others have promised to formally ratify the Agreement by the end of 2016. To further assist, at the bottom of the webpage is a link to an FAQ on how the Agreement goes into force.
The tracker can be found by clicking here.
Public Comment Period Extended for EPA Proposed Design Details for Clean Energy Incentive Program
The comment period for the US Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed design details for the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) has been extended until September 2, 2016. This will align the public comment period with the public hearing submittal timeframe. The CEIP is intended to provide States with an optional means under the Clean Power Plan of incentivizing early investments in demand-side energy efficiency and renewable energy generation in low-income communities. For additional information please click here.
DOE Calls for Submissions on EPC Projects to be Recognized at Annual US-China EE Forum
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a request for submissions for innovative energy performance contracting projects at public, commercial, or industrial facilities located in the US or China. These submissions may be recognized at the 7th Annual US-China Energy Efficiency Forum. Submissions are due by August 22, 2016. For additional information please click here.
GGAC Regional and Chapter Activities
For additional information on State, local, and international government affairs, please contact Jim Scarborough, ASHRAE’s Manager of Grassroots Government Affairs, at [email protected].
Nominations Still Open for Grassroots Government Advocacy Award
Do you know an ASHRAE Champion? Annually, the Grassroots Government Advocacy Award recognizes an ASHRAE member or team of members who demonstrates outstanding efforts in the national, State, Provincial and/or local government on technical issues important to ASHRAE. The purpose of the award is to stimulate effective participation by ASHRAE members in national, State, Provincial, and/or local government activities in connection with technical issues related to the purpose of the Society. To nominate that ASHRAE member or team today, find more information and download the application, please click here and look under the "Become an ASHRAE Champion" sub-header.
Open Meeting in NJ to Consider Raising Educational Requirements for PE Licensure
An Open Meeting will occur in New Jersey on August 9 to consider whether legislation should be introduced in the New Jersey Legislature to raise the educational level for licensure of Professional Engineers from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree. The New Jersey “Raise the Bar” Committee is holding these open forums to provide a chance for discussion on future licensure requirements. ASHRAE has long opposed the effort to move to a master’s or equivalent for licensure. The meeting on August 9 will be held in central New Jersey in the Cait Building Auditorium of Rutgers University (Busch Campus), 100 Brett Road in Piscataway, NJ. For directions please click here.
City of Rockville Maryland Joins Growing List of Cities Requiring Building Benchmarking
On July 11, 2016, the Mayor and City Council of Rockville, Maryland amended its city code to allow Montgomery County’s building energy use benchmarking requirements to apply within the City of Rockville and be administered by Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. Montgomery County’s benchmarking program requires owners of certain types of non-residential buildings 50,000 square feet and greater, or a group of buildings that share a parcel (have the same Tax ID) that are collectively 50,000 square feet or greater, to benchmark energy use. Data is verified by a Recognized Data Verifier the first year and every three years thereafter; and report data to the County annually for public disclosure. Under the proposed ordinance, Rockville properties will have the same benchmarking requirements and access to technical and financial resources as other properties in Montgomery County. The first deadline for data submission to Montgomery County is for the 2016 energy data is June 1, 2017. Last year, Montgomery County became the first county in the United States to require building benchmarking.
New Energy Efficiency Regulations Proposed in Delaware
The Delaware Register of Regulations, published on August 1, issued proposed new energy efficiency regulations which define the standards for evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) procedures as they are administered by that State’s Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC). The purpose of these EM&V regulations is to:
- develop an overall approach to the evaluation of energy efficiency and demand response programs in Delaware;
- standardize evaluation approaches for the assessment of energy efficiency and demand response programs;
- provide specific guidance to Program Administrators, contractors and stakeholders for the evaluation of energy efficiency and demand response programs; and
- ensure consistency between Program Administrators’ energy efficiency evaluations plans, analysis, and reporting efforts.
Written comments regarding the proposed changes may be made via e-mail to [email protected] or via the USPS to:
Lisa Vest, Hearing Officer
DNREC
89 Kings Highway
Dover, DE 19901 (302) 739-9042
A public hearing on the proposed amendment will be held on August 29, 2016 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the DNREC Auditorium, located at the Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901.
This proposed rule is lengthy (11 pages) but appears to be rather comprehensive in its scope, though it does not mention ASHRAE by name. The draft of the rule can be found by clicking here.
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