Bill > S2971

This bill, the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2014, aims to promote energy efficiency through various measures, including the "Better Buildings Act of 2014" which directs the Administrator of General Services to develop model leasing provisions and best practices to encourage collaboration between building owners and tenants on cost-effective energy and water efficiency measures, and to implement these measures in federal realty services, also making these resources available to state and local governments. It also mandates a study on the feasibility of improving energy efficiency in separate spaces within commercial buildings through high-performance energy efficiency measures, and establishes a "Tenant Star" program under the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program to recognize tenants who achieve high levels of energy efficiency in their leased spaces, while also expanding data collection on building energy consumption. Furthermore, the bill introduces provisions for "Grid-Enabled Water Heaters," which are electric water heaters designed for use in demand response programs, requiring specific labeling and activation mechanisms to ensure their intended use and prevent diversion. Finally, the "Energy Efficient Government Technology Act" requires federal agencies to develop strategies for acquiring and using energy-efficient information technology, sets performance goals for these efforts, and mandates improvements to energy efficiency standards and reporting for federal data centers, including the creation of a data center energy practitioner program and an open data initiative for energy usage.