Energy Efficiency Requirements for State Government

Summary

Public Act No. 06-187, enacted in 2006, required the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management, in consultation with several other state agencies, to adopt building construction regulations for state facilities. The construction standards must be consistent with or exceed the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver rating for new commercial construction and major renovation projects, or receive a two-globe rating under the Green Globes USA design program, or other equivalent standard. The regulations state that the base minimum energy performance for all building projects must be 21% better than the Connecticut State Building Code or ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004, whichever is more stringent. Overall, the building projects subject to these regulations must implement at least 26 of 60 strategies detailed in the regulations. The regulations and the Compliance Manual for High Performing Buildings detail additional information. State-funded building projects required to comply with the standards include:

• Any new state facility construction with a projected cost $5 million or more, and for which all budgeted project bond funds are allocated by the State Bond Commission on or after January 1, 2008.
• Any state facility renovation that is projected to cost $2 million or more, of which $2 million or more is state funding, approved and funded on or after January 1, 2008.
• New construction of school facilities projected to cost $5 million or more, of which $2 million or more is state funding, and is authorized by the Connecticut General Assembly on or after January 1, 2009.
• Renovation of a public school facility that is projected to cost $2 million or more, of which $2 million or more is state funding, and is authorized by the General Assembly on or after January 1, 2009.

Public Act No. 07-242 of 2007 established mandatory efficiency requirements for certain equipment purchased by the state. The Connecticut Department of Administrative Services and agencies with procurement authority must purchase equipment and appliances that meet or exceed the energy conservation standards set forth in the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and meet or exceed federal Energy Star standards. Also, when purchasing equipment based on competitive bids, the purchasing agency must utilize life-cycle cost analyses.

Public Act No.11-80 of 2011 established goals for reducing state energy consumption. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in cooperation with the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) was tasked with reducing energy consumption in state facilities by 10% by January 1, 2013 and another 10% by January 1, 2018 from the baseline of 4.1 trillion British Thermal Units (energy use in fiscal year 2011). In response, the agencies launched Connecticut's Lead by Example - Energy Efficiency for State and Local Government. 

Public Act No. 13-298 of 2013 allows DEEP to benchmark energy and water consumption of all state-owned nonresidential or residential buildings with a gross floor area of 10,000 square feet or more. Using the U.S. EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager, nonresidential buildings will be benchmarked by January 1, 2014, and residential buildings will be benchmarked by April 1, 2014.