As Congress, the President and federal agencies place increased emphasis on energy conservation within the federal government, the built-environment (e.g. buildings, facilities, and the associated assets) represents a sector with significant opportunities to reduce energy consumption. Most recently, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) requires federal agencies to reduce the fossil fuel based energy consumption of new and renovated buildings to zero by 2030. Requirements also were placed on existing buildings. As agencies begin to plan for implementing these requirements they are faced with questions on whether the resources and technology will be available to fulfill these requirements. The Federal Facilities Council and coordinating private sector organizations (list below) are pleased to provide the initial venue for an ongoing dialogue on these requirements and how the building community can work together to achieve these requirements and facilitate knowledge and technology transfer between the public and private sectors. Federal Facilities Council Forum—July 22 While EISA establishes requirements on federal agencies, it does not provide the answers on how to get there. The Federal Facilities Council Forum will provide attendees with background on EISA and other requirements on federal buildings and what agencies and the private sector are doing to reach energy goals. Presentations will include case studies from private sector carbon neutral buildings, lessons learned in implementation of energy management programs, and what agencies have already done toward these requirements and how they have worked. The FFC Forum is open to the public. More details and registration information will be forthcoming. Public/Private Sector Workshop—July 23 Following the background information and initial questions presented in the Forum, a select group of participants will gather for a working session to begin the discussion of how the building community can work together to achieve the EISA requirements. Senior-level representatives from federal agencies and the private sector will examine the resources necessary to achieve these goals, the anticipated long-term challenges, and opportunities to share experiences. Due to limited space and necessary diversity in attendees, participation in the workshop portion will be limited. However, outcomes from the workshop will be widely distributed. Expressions of interest to participate in the workshop will be solicited during registration for the forum. |
