By: Joe Robinson, Alliance to Save Energy and Joe Fernardi, Seattle City Light

The federal government operates more than 350,000 buildings—many still equipped with analog meters that provide little visibility into how, when, or why energy is used. In an era of rising costs and increasing grid stress, federal facility managers need modern tools. Smart metering, interval data, and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) give agencies the information required to identify waste, improve comfort, and support mission readiness. For ASE, this is foundational: you cannot manage what you cannot measure.

Modern Meters = Modern Management

Analog meters capture a single monthly number. That’s it. No time-of-day insights, no load shape, no actionable data.

Smart meters change everything:

• 15-minute or hourly interval data
• Automated alerts to anomalous energy spikes
• Integration with building automation and VPP-ready controls
• Portfolio-level dashboards

This turns energy management from reactive to strategic.

The Power of Analytics in Real Facilities

Interval data routinely reveals issues analog meters hide:

• After-hours HVAC operation
• Malfunctioning dampers or valves
• Simultaneous heating and cooling
• Equipment not matching occupancy patterns

A GSA building in Denver discovered a stuck cooling valve wasting $18,000 per year—identified solely through AMI data.

The Cost Case: Big Savings for a Small Upgrade

DOE’s AMI National Impacts Report finds modern metering can cut energy use up to 12% in large federal facilities. Typical outcomes include:

• $20,000–$60,000 annual savings
• Reduced manual meter reading labor
• Faster maintenance and operational insight

Many systems pay back in 1–3 years.

Federal Buildings Already Using AMI for Flexibility

Federal Buildings Already Using AMI

• A federal complex in New Mexico uses smart meters to trigger automated HVAC curtailment during grid alerts.
• A DOE campus in Idaho uses interval data to pre-cool ahead of wildfire-driven grid constraints—operating as a VPP-supportive asset.
• A courthouse in Washington partnered with Seattle City Light to use interval data for measurement & verification (M&V) on a chiller plant improvement, successfully leveraging a performance-based incentive from the utility.

This is what modern federal operations look like: smarter, cleaner, more reliable.

Why This Matters for Energy Efficiency—and ASE’s Work

Modern metering is central to active efficiency. ASE champions accessible, data-driven solutions that reduce waste, strengthen reliability, and support federal mission performance.

Want to help expand AMI across federal buildings? Email jrobinson@ase.org with “Interested in IPC.”

A Practical Policy Step: Require AMI at Major Federal Facilities

Congress and agencies should require:

• AMI and interval data at major federal buildings
• Integration into automation and flexibility platforms
• Public-private innovation through ESPCs and UESCs

Smart Data = Smart Decisions

With modern meters, facilities gain visibility to cut waste, improve comfort, and support grid reliability—while demonstrating public-sector leadership.

Resources & Further Reading

• U.S. Department of Energy: Advanced Metering Infrastructure National Impacts Report (Quantifying the National Impacts of AMI)
  https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/AMI_National_Impacts_Report.pdf
• U.S. Energy Information Administration: Electric Power Annual — Metering Data by Customer Class
  https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/html/epa_08_01.html
• U.S. General Services Administration: Sustainability and Energy Management Dashboard
  https://www.gsa.gov/sustainability
• Alliance to Save Energy: Active Efficiency Initiative
  https://www.ase.org/active-efficiency
• Alliance to Save Energy: Advancing Virtual Power Plants to Scale: Policy, Market Trends, and Deployment Pathways (2025)
  https://www.ase.org/resources/advancing-virtual-power-plants-scale-policy-market-trends-and-deployment-pathways