Description
<p>Section 305 of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (ECPA), as amended, brought modifications to the Building Energy Codes. ECPA requires to establish building energy efficiency standards for all new Federal buildings (42 U.S.C. 6834(a)(1)). The established standards must contain: (i)energy savings, (ii) efficient use of water, energy, and (iii) use renewable energy sources. The aim is to meet or exceed the energy savings and renewable energy specifications of the referenced voluntary consensus energy codes. (42 U.S.C. 6834(a)(1)-(3)). Another provision is that the Federal building energy efficiency performance standards for new Federal buildings must require that such buildings be designed to achieve energy consumption levels that are at least 30 percent below the levels established in the referenced codes, if life-cycle cost-effective.</p>