Energy Efficient and Sustainable Design Policy for VA New Construction

VHA PROGRAM GUIDE PG-18-3

May 2006

TOPIC 15 - ENERGY EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN POLICY FOR

VA NEW CONSTRUCTION

1. ISSUE: Mandatory compliance requirement of Energy Policy Act (EPACT) of 2005,

and application of sustainable design principles in new construction.

2. BACKGROUND: The EPACT 2005 mandates that all new federal facilities shall

reduce the energy cost budget by 30 percent compared to the baseline building

performance rating per the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-

Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2004, Energy Standard for Buildings

except Low-rise Residential Buildings or International Energy Conservation Code

(IECC), and employ sustainable design principles.

3. DISCUSSION: To assure that all new Federal buildings incorporate the best

energy efficiency techniques available, Section 109 "Federal Building Performance

Standards" of the EPACT 2005 directs the Secretary of Energy, within one year, to issue

a rule that establishes Federal building energy efficiency performance standards. The

standards will require that, if life-cycle cost effective, all new Federal buildings will be

designed to achieve energy consumption levels thirty percent below those of the current

version of the applicable ASHRAE standard or the IECC. The requirement further states

that sustainable design principles will be applied to the siting, design, and construction of

all new and replacement buildings. The section also requires DOE to perform a review

within one year of any change to the ASHRAE standard or IECC to see if the Federal

guidance should be updated. As an oversight provision, the section also directs each

agency to include in its annual budget request, and report under the National Energy

Policy Act, identification of all new buildings and whether they meet or exceed the

developed standards.

4. VA Policy: The design of all new VA buildings must comply with mandatory EPACT

2005 requirements and employ sustainable design principles.

5. REFERENCES: See Section 109 requirements @

http://www.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/epact05_fem_chart.pdf