FY09 Alliance Appropriations Priorities Fact Sheet

Gasoline, natural gas, and heating oil prices have risen dramatically in the past few years, costing American families and businesses over $300 billion each year. Despite the severe budget constraints faced by federal appropriators, it is vital to our country’s health that we invest in programs that can alleviate the economic, environmental, and security problems associated with growing energy use. Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, and cleanest way to reduce pressure on tight energy supplies, help to restrain prices, and help protect the environment.

In particular, the Alliance urges FY 2009 funding for the following DOE programs in the Energy and Water and Interior Appropriations bill:

Energy and Water Key priorities (in order of priority):

• Building Energy Codes: State code adoption and enforcement offers one of the greatest opportunities for electricity, natural gas, and heating oil savings across our nation. EPAct 2005 (Sec. 128) authorized $25 million per year for building codes, including $10 million for a new program to help states improve compliance with their codes. Several studies have found poor rates of compliance with building codes, causing unnecessary energy waste. This new program would assist states that have adopted up-to-date building codes to implement a plan to achieve 90 percent compliance through better training, enforcement, or other measures. The Alliance recommends a $21.3 million increase above the FY 2008 appropriated level and $17 million above the FY09 budget request, for a total of $25 million.
• Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Initiative: The buildings sector accounts for about 40 percent of the total U.S. energy consumption and 40 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, and about half of that is from commercial buildings. The Alliance, along with the American Institute of Architects, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, US Green Building Council, and World Business Council for Sustainable Development, are the founding sponsors of an initiative for zero-energy commercial buildings by 2030. This public-private collaboration will combine better tracking of the real energy performance, demonstrations of replicable solution packages for different building types, strategic research, and a market transformation plan. The Alliance recommends $20 million for this new program in FY 2009, to complement the existing commercial buildings R&D program.
• Energy Efficiency Public Information Initiative: EPAct 2005 (Sec. 134) authorized $90 million per year for a new public education program to provide consumers the information and encouragement necessary to reduce energy consumption. Such programs have a proven track record of success, as evidenced in California in 2001 with the “Flex Your Power” campaign that reduced consumer demand and assisted in avoidance of further black outs. The Alliance recommends funding this program at $30 million in FY 2009.
• Federal Energy Management Program: This program helped cut federal building energy use by 13 percent from 1985-2005 – a reduction that now saves federal taxpayers roughly $1 billion each year in reduced energy costs. But funding has steadily decreased for this program, even though large savings remain untapped. EPAct 2005, EISA, and Executive Order 13423, in addition to setting aggressive new federal energy saving targets, require DOE to implement rules, guidelines, and reports on the targets, federal building standards, federal procurement, and metering. A needed funding increase for this program will actually save taxpayers money in lower federal energy bills. The Alliance recommends a $10.2 million increase above the FY 2008 level and $8 million increase over FY09 Budget request, for a total funding level of $30 million.
• Equipment Standards and Analysis: Appliance energy efficiency standards (e.g. for refrigerators) have already reduced U.S. electricity use by an estimated 2.5 percent and reduced peak power demand by the output of 70 power plants, at minimal cost to the federal government, and saving consumers billions of dollars in their energy bills. But the program is years behind on issuing standards for close to 20 products. The Alliance recommends a $2 million increase over the FY 2008 level for total funding of $24 million.
• Industrial Best Practices: One of the most effective DOE industrial programs conducts plant-wide energy assessments, develops diagnostic software, conducts training, develops technical references, and demonstrates success stories. Oak Ridge National Laboratory reports that DOE-ITP’s Best Practices outreach saved 82 trillion Btu in 2002, worth $492 million. The Alliance recommends Congress fund this program at the President’s FY09 budget request of $15.5 million.
• DOE Energy Star: Energy Star is the most successful voluntary, public-private deployment program at EPA and DOE, making it easy for consumers to find and buy numerous energy-efficient products. And it functions on a very small budget. Every federal dollar spent on the Energy Star program results in an average savings of more than $75 in consumer energy bills and a reduction of about 3.7 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. With additional funding, the Energy Star program could update its criteria, expand the program to other areas and add more product categories. The Alliance recommends Congress fund this program at the President’s FY09 budget request of $8 million.
• State Energy Program: DOE’s State Energy Program (SEP) is a federally funded formula share program, in which state must provide a 20 percent funding match. This program has been integral in the ability of state’s to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has reported that this program achieves savings equal to 41 billion Btu. The Alliance recommends a $30.9 million increase over the FY 2008 level and $25 million above the President’s FY09 budget request, for total funding of $75 million.
• Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP): One of the most successful programs within the Department of Energy, WAP can reduce an average home’s energy costs by $358 annually. Typical services include adding insulation, reducing air infiltration, and servicing heating and cooling systems. The Alliance recommends that Congress reverse the zeroing out of WAP in the President’s FY09 budget request, and increase funding by $72.8 million over the FY 2008 level, for total funding of $300 million.
• EIA Energy Consumption Surveys: EIA’s Energy Consumption Surveys provide unique and invaluable data to policy makers, industry, and researchers. Funding is need to reinstate the residential transportation survey, last conducted in 1994, and to conduct the Residential, Manufacturing, and Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Surveys (RECS, MECS, and CBECS) every three years, as required by the Energy Policy Act of 1992, instead of the current four-year schedule. The Alliance recommends Congress fund this program at $5.5 million.

Interior Key priority:

• Energy Star: In 2004 alone, Energy Star helped Americans save enough peak electricity required to power about 25 million homes, prevent over 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions- equivalent to the annual emissions from 20 million vehicles- and save about $10 billion on their utility bills. Every federal dollar spent on the program costs yields savings of more than $75 in consumer energy bills’ the reduction of about 3.7 tons of carbon dioxide emissions; more than a $15 investment in the private sector; and, the contribution of over $60 to the economy. With additional funding, Energy Star can expand a new program on home energy improvements, update their guidelines, label additional products, and prove Americans with more information on how to save energy. The Alliance recommends a $55.8 million increase over the FY 2008 level for total funding of $100 million.