Ed Whitfield: “Today, we are considering S. 535, the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015, a bill to address energy efficiency in…”

“Today, we are considering S. 535, the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015, a bill to address energy efficiency in Federal buildings, energy conservation through the continued use of grid-enabled water heaters, and energy information for federally leased commercial buildings. I also want to thank the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) for working with us on this important legislation. Both sides of the aisle came together in this legislation, and I want to thank all of them and their staffs for the work that they have done. Madam Speaker, the first title in this bill would establish a Tenant Star program--a voluntary certification and recognition program--within ENERGY STAR to promote energy efficiency in separate spaces. This program allows for a voluntary, market-driven approach to aligning the interests of commercial building owners and their tenants to reduce energy consumption. The DOE would also be required to complete a study on feasible approaches to improving the energy efficiency of tenant- occupied spaces in commercial buildings. The second title in this bill relates to hot water heaters. There are approximately 250 electric cooperatives in 34 States that utilize large electric resistance water heaters in demand response programs to help with reliability and consumer costs during peak periods of energy use.…”