Importance of Energy Efficiency in the Federal Government
The federal government is the nation’s single largest energy consumer and energy waster. In 2005, the federal government consumed about 1.6 quadrillion Btu (quads) of energy at a cost of $14.5 billion. This is 1.6% of all energy used in the U.S. American taxpayers pay about $4 billion annually just to heat, cool, and power the 500,000 federal buildings and facilities.
Efforts over the last two decades to reduce energy use in federal buildings and facilities have resulted in significant energy and cost savings. Overall, federal primary energy use decreased by 18 percent from 1985 to 2006, and in buildings, primary energy consumption decreased by eight percent. Federal building and facility energy bills decreased by 22 percent in real terms in that time period, considerably more than the 15 percent decrease in the cost of primary energy supplied to those facilities. In large part due to energy-saving efforts, federal building carbon emissions were 18 percent lower in 2005 than in 1990.
Advancing Energy Efficiency in Federal Government
For over a decade, the Alliance has been a leader in advancing the efficient use of energy throughout the federal government. The Alliance works in two arenas to help federal agencies use energy more efficiently. First, the Alliance’s Government Energy Leadership Action Task Force (GELAT) develops innovative programs and approaches to improve the energy performance of the Federal Government and advocate for their adoption. Second, the Alliance’s Policy Team advances federal policies that mandate efficiency investments in agencies.
Key to success is collaboration with industry. The Alliance collaborates with industry and other partners through GELAT, established in 2007 in order to plan joint strategies for industry action and to provide guidance and input to the Alliance’s efforts to increase energy efficiency in federal facilities.
Updated August 22, 2008
