The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) applauds the U.S. government’s recent action to allocate US$33 million to the Department of Energy to continue the ENERGY STAR® program. The bill – H.R. 6938 – was signed into law on 23 January, after bipartisan approval from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate the previous week.
For decades, IFMA has recognized and championed the business case for energy efficiency, highlighting its role in enhancing U.S. economic competitiveness, reducing environmental waste and strengthening national security. The enactment of the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which includes funding for the ENERGY STAR program, was a policy priority of IFMA’s advocacy efforts and supported through individual outreach and coordinated coalition efforts with the High Performance Buildings Congressional Coalition.
"IFMA has long supported pragmatic, bipartisan programs like ENERGY STAR that have a substantial and measurable impact on building operations, maintenance and performance," said Michael V. Geary, CAE, IFMA President and CEO. "Across four decades, ENERGY STAR has been a proven and reliable tool for facility managers, providing consistent data on energy consumption to improve efficiency, productivity and operations for organizations and their building portfolios."
Since 1992, ENERGY STAR has been one of the most successful voluntary government initiatives, saving 5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, more than US$500 billion in energy costs, and preventing 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
In that time, ENERGY STAR established methodologies and benchmarks to create energy performance ratings that have influenced global green buildings standards.
Funding for ENERGY STAR and other essential programs that serve the building sector has been a priority in the 119th Congress.
Support for ENERGY STAR was an IFMA Advocacy Priority in the 119th Congress. IFMA Advocacy Efforts are dedicated to providing reliable information to decision-makers and stakeholders on issues with the potential to impact the built environment including energy, sustainability, workforce, building health and safety.