The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act of 2011 is a national strategy to increase the use of energy efficiency technologies in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of our economy, while also fostering job creation.

This bipartisan bill uses a variety of low-cost tools to reduce barriers for private sector energy users and drive adoption of off-the-shelf efficiency technologies that will save businesses and consumers money, make America more energy independent, and reduce emissions. Efficiency technologies are commercially available today, can be widely deployed in every state in the nation, and pay for themselves through energy savings relatively quickly.

The Shaheen-Portman bill will help speed the transition to a more energy efficient economy, increasing both our economic competitiveness and our energy security for the coming decades, while stimulating the economy and encouraging private sector job creation.

What the Bill Would Do

Buildings

• Strengthens national model building codes to make new homes and commercial buildings more energy efficient while working with states and private industry to make the code-writing process more transparent. Creates a goal of achieving net-zero-energy building by 2030.

• Kick starts private sector investment in commercial, industrial and municipal building efficiency upgrades and renovations by expanding the existing Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee program to include efficiency retrofits.

Manufacturers

• Helps manufacturers reduce energy use and become more competitive by working with states to establish a revolving loan program to help finance efficiency upgrades. 

• Encourages the DOE to work with private sector partners to invest in the research, development and commercialization of innovative energy efficient technology and processes for industrial applications.

• Establishes a DOE program – SupplySTAR - to help make companies’ supply chains more efficient.

Federal Government

• Requires the federal government – the single largest energy user in the country -- to adopt energy saving techniques for computers, saving energy and taxpayer dollars.

• Requires agencies to share best practices for advanced metering technology to remotely monitor and better manage energy usage of government buildings.

• Allows federal agencies to use existing funds to update plans for new federal buildings, using the most current building efficiency standards.

• Clarifies that Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) can be used by federal agencies to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure, making it easier for agencies to use electric vehicles.