Washington, DC Projects Office

Procurement of Energy-Efficient Products

U.S. Federal Government

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) within the US Department of Energy helps federal agencies comply with requirements to buy energy-efficient products. Federal agencies are required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Executive Orders 13123 and 13221, and Part 23 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations to purchase products that are ENERGY STAR^®-qualified or FEMP-designated as energy-efficient.

LBNL staff in the DC office support FEMP's efforts by providing technical and market analysis to identify the performance levels which FEMP uses to designate energy-efficient products. We produce Performance Specifications for Energy-Efficient Products—short documents that allow federal procurement officials to easily identify ENERGY STAR^®-qualified or FEMP-designated products. The Performance Specifications also provide information to educate buyers about how to effectively select, install, and operate these efficient products. We are also responsible for helping FEMP disseminate the Performance Specifications throughout the federal sector, integrating the concept of energy-efficient procurement into federal agency purchasing practices, solicitations for offer and other contract vehicles, construction specifications for federal buildings, and other procurement activities. In addition, LBNL staff work with the two federal supply agencies, the General Services Administration and the Defense Logistics Agency, to comply with Energy Policy Act requirements to "clearly identify and prominently display" energy-efficient products in all federal supply systems.

As the world's largest volume-buyer of energy-related products, the federal government can reduce energy consumption and achieve enormous cost savings by purchasing energy-efficient products. LBNL's activities help make these purchasing choices "business as usual" throughout the federal sector.

State and Local Governments

In cooperation with EPA and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), LBNL staff encourage states, local agencies, and schools to adopt energy-efficient purchasing policies and practices similar to those in place at the federal level. A number of state and local jurisdictions have undertaken pilot projects with help from CEE. For example, New York State requires all agencies to buy efficient products at levels defined by NYSERDA and the Office of General Services. Other examples of state and local purchasing policies can be found on the PePS web site.