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The FEMP Digest provides a roundup of the latest offerings, news, and events available from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). To view previous FEMP Digests, visit the Archived Digest webpage on the FEMP website.
Energy Exchange 2021 Round-Up
Energy Exchange 2021 Drives Progress toward Federal Sustainability
The virtual Energy Exchange 2021, hosted by FEMP, was kicked off by DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm and National Climate Advisor for the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy Gina McCarthy on August 2, 2021. EEx brought together nearly 2,000 attendees from the federal energy and water-management community for more than 40 technical training sessions, plenaries, and timely discussions of the Biden Administration’s ambitious climate goals. Check out this post-event summary of the top highlights and headlines from this year’s event.
Registered attendees can continue to visit the event platform to view technical training sessions on-demand and earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Be sure to view technical trainings by September 15 and take assessments by September 26.
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"This administration is turbo-charging our efforts to slash the carbon footprint of the federal government and we cannot do it without you."
-Jennifer Granholm, Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
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2021 FEDS Spotlight Recognition
As part of FEMP’s fifth annual FEDS Spotlight, federal energy champions were selected for recognition by their agency leaders and peers at the virtual 2021 Energy Exchange. Read more about how this year's champions worked to implement exceptional resilient, efficient, and secure energy and water management practices and projects, while also helping their agencies to achieve mission success.
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FEMP Focus
FEMP Releases Report on Monitoring-Based Commissioning
Effective energy system commissioning is critical to ensuring that system performance meets its design intent. Monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) is the ongoing application of the commissioning process to a building or energy system. MBCx typically automates monitoring, data collection, and analysis to inform the commissioning process with timely information and insights. FEMP recently published Enhancing Performance Contracts with Monitoring-based Commissioning to provide information on the benefits and process of integrating MBCx as an energy conservation measure into energy performance contracts. The report provides an overview of MBCx capabilities and process, MBCx energy savings potential, and advantages of implementing MBCx within energy savings performance contracts and utility energy service contracts, including considerations for use of MBCx in each performance contract phase. The report is now available on FEMP's website.
FEMP Guidance for Using eProject Builder to Streamline Federal Agency Reporting
FEMP's Guidance and Recommendations for Streamlining Reporting for Federal Energy and Water Efficiency Projects recommends the use of eProject Builder (ePB), a project development and archiving tool for energy projects. ePB carries additional value in its simplification of federal agency reporting by dovetailing with FEMP’s EISA 432 Compliance Tracking System (CTS). Recommendations include:
- Using ePB for tracking data from energy and water projects, including the use of features that streamline EISA Section 432 reporting into CTS.
- When reporting annual agency energy savings performance contract (ESPC) activities to DOE, including both initial ESPC project award and annual ESPC measurement and verification data in order to meet the 42 U.S.C. § 8287b reporting requirement.
- Using ePB to support agency documentation of utility energy service contract project annual outcomes, including measuring and verifying energy conservation measure and system performance and energy and water savings, and the assurance that proper operations, maintenance, and repair was accomplished per the requirements of 42 U.S.C. § 8253(f)(5).
FEMP's recommendations can save agencies time and effort, using the ePB system by tracking all financed and non-financed energy and water projects for covered and uncovered facilities; archiving important data and project documents for reporting and future use; and automatically downloading the data needed for the required reporting such as the CTS initiated projects report. The document is available on FEMP's website.
PNNL Receives DOE Sustainability Award for Technical Resilience Navigator
DOE recently awarded the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) a 2021 DOE Sustainability Award for the Innovative Approach to Sustainability category for their efforts piloting the FEMP Technical Resilience Navigator (TRN). The team has been using the TRN to identify risks to energy and water loads serving critical functions on PNNL’s Richland, Washington campus. PNNL used the TRN as a part of their data-informed decision-making efforts to meet sustainability goals, including leveraging findings from the risk assessment and gap analysis to inform decarbonization planning efforts. DOE recognized how PNNL's efforts and commitment to sustainability have been essential in ensuring DOE’s continued success as a federal leader in sustainability. The team received their award in August during the annual Energy Facility Contractors Group (EFCOG), Sustainability, and Environmental Subgroup meeting.
Two Upcoming Conferences Highlight Smart Labs
Two upcoming conferences in September will feature content relevant to FEMP’s Smart Labs program. First, a session at the 2021 Greenbuild International Conference (September 20-25) will highlight the significance of unique utility incentive programs for implementing the FEMP Smart Labs program to optimize safety and energy efficiency. The presentation, titled Coast to Coast: Going the Distance to Incentivize Energy Efficiency in Labs, will be available on-demand for virtual attendees and presented live on Tuesday, September 21st at 11am. In addition, the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) Annual Conference (September 26-29) will focus on opportunities and challenges of laboratories worldwide to build, maintain and operate secured and high-performance lab buildings. I2SL has undertaken several projects funded by FEMP to help improve laboratory operations and engineering. Contact Rachel Romero, NREL Smart Lab support lead, to obtain additional meeting information.
FEMP Tools Spotlight
New PNNL Hot Water Maintenance Report: The main purpose of a Domestic hot water temperature maintenance (HWTM) system is to provide reliable hot water at all fixtures with minimal wait time, saving both water and energy. This PNNL report provides an overview of why the HWTM topic is important, how to understand your building’s system, considerations for occupant comfort, and comparison of typical and newly available technologies.
New version of Fumehood Energy Calculator launched: Fumehoods provide a key opportunity to reduce energy usage in laboratory buildings. This planning calculator tool allows laboratory energy managers and designers to quickly compare the energy impacts of fumehoods prior to acquisition or modification. The new web-based version includes an updated user interface and calculation options.
The Smart Labs Toolkit has been updated with a new quick reference Smart Labs Checklist, two new webinar recordings, and five new Best Practice Guides from I2SL, the host of the Toolkit. Look no further than the Smart Labs Toolkit for all the resources to improve the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of your labs.
Upcoming Live Webinar Training
Monitoring-Based Commissioning In Performance Contracting: Will provide information about incorporating monitoring-based commissioning into energy performance contracts, specifically energy savings performance contracts and utility energy service contracts.
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET
EV Champion Training Series: Advanced Fleet Electrification: Session four of a series that serves as an introduction to EV technology and considerations for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) installation.
Thursday, September 16, 2021, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. ET
Data Center Energy Practitioner (DCEP) Training Program: Will prepare attendees to perform accurate energy assessments of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), electrical, and information technology (IT) systems in data centers.
Tuesday, September 21–Thursday, September 23, 2021 (Generalist + HVAC Specialist)
Friday, September 24, 2021 (IT Specialist)
Setting Escalation Rates Responsibly: FEMP Guidance And The EERC: Will educate attendees (federal employees, utility and ESCO representatives) who work with performance contracts about how to follow FEMP guidance on escalation rates and how to use the Energy Escalation Rate Calculator (EERC).
Thursday, September 23, 2021, 1:30–2:30 p.m. ET
New Cybersecurity Self-Assessment Tools To Protect Federal Facilities: Will provide an overview of new cybersecurity self-assessment tools funded by FEMP that are focused specifically on facility related control systems, including MEEDS and ArcGen.
Wednesday, September 29, 2021, 1:30–3:00 p.m. ET
Working With Your Utility Series: Utility Cost Implications Of A DE Project: Will review utility tariff implications of a distributed energy (DE) project, including information on comparing utility tariff options, common tariff structures, potential standby charges, and net metering policies.
Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET
View FEMP’s Training Catalog to see all FEMP’s scheduled live and on-demand training sessions.
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