New Energy Efficiency Standardization Roadmap Establishes National Framework for Action

The road map identifies many opportunities, detailing recommendations and timelines for action across several interrelated areas of focus.

June 25, 2014 - Advancing energy efficiency in the U.S. has the potential to save $80 billion annually. With the release yesterday of the Standardization Roadmap: Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) joins U.S. industry, government, other standards developing organizations (SDOs) and other energy efficiency stakeholders who now have a national framework for action and coordination on future energy efficiency standardization.


Developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Energy Efficiency Standardization Coordination Collaborative (EESCC) - a cross-sector group chaired by representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Schneider Electric - the roadmap charts 125 recommendations to advance energy efficiency within the built environment.

According to the DOE, our nation's buildings account for more than 70 percent of total U.S. electricity use and 40 percent of the nation's total energy bill, at a cost of $400 billion dollars per year. With 20 percent or more of this energy wasted, comparable reductions in energy have the potential to save an estimated $80 billion annually.

Increased awareness and coordination among the public and private sectors on standards, codes, and conformity assessment can help quicken the pace of energy efficiency technology development and deployment. The road map identifies many opportunities, detailing recommendations and timelines for action across several interrelated areas of focus.

IREC President and CEO Jane Weissman co-chaired the EESCC expert workgroup on workforce credentialing, which made 16 overarching recommendations to advance workforce credentialing in the energy efficiency field.

"Industry, government and other stakeholders now have a coordinated national resource to help them work together toward achievable energy efficiency goals in the built environment, and that includes standards in workforce development," said Weissman. "We're working diligently to bridge the gaps between education/training programs and the skills employees need for today's and tomorrow's clean energy workforce, including the critical component of energy efficiency."

The complete Standardization Roadmap: Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment is now available as a free download.

More than 50 member organizations and four federal agencies, involving over 160 experts from industry, standards and code developing organizations, energy efficiency-focused organizations, educational institutions, and other groups, took part in the roadmap's development.

"Energy efficiency is a complex, cross-cutting issue that applies to all industry sectors, impacts multiple government agencies, and hits every stage in the life cycle of a building," said S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. "I encourage stakeholder organizations from both the public and private sectors to review the roadmap's recommendations, identify where they may be able to help close the standardization gaps, and work with the EESCC to do so."

Organizations interested in carrying out standardization activities to close a gap identified in the roadmap - either working collaboratively or on their own - are asked to notify the EESCC by completing the online EESCC Standardization Action Form so that the collaborative can monitor the roadmap's implementation and assist with coordination of standardization activities, as appropriate.

About EESCC

The ANSI Energy Efficiency Standardization Coordination Collaborative (EESCC) is a cross-sector, neutral forum and focal point for broad-based coordination among energy efficiency activities involving or impacted by standardization (i.e., standards, codes, conformance activities) and regulations. The objective of the collaborative is to assess the standardization landscape, and carry out the development of a standardization roadmap for energy efficiency within the built environment. For more information on the work of the EESCC, visitwww.ansi.org/eescc

About ANSI

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is made up of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

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