Here comes a new energy act

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recently passed a Bill called S. 1000, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competiveness Act of 2011.Introduced by Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senator Rob Portman, it is now eligible for Senate floor consideration.

Among the provisions are a federal-state revolving loan program for industrial and commercial projects which improve energy efficiency, power factor, or load management through the implementation of advanced processes using technologies such as sensors, meters, information networks, and drives. There is also a federal loan program for energy efficiency upgrades in commercial, multifamily residential, industrial, municipal, government, school, and hospital buildings.

The Bill also creates a NEMA Premium transformer rebate program to encourage the replacement of older, less efficient transformers with new transformers that incur 30% fewer losses than those following current baselines. In addition, it will facilitate support for the development and adoption of model national building energy codes developed by ASHRAE and the IECC and authorizes the DoE Secretary to offer incentives to states to adopt these codes.

Other topics covered in the Bill's 194 pages include refrigerator and freezer standards, room air conditioner standards, covered water heaters, clothes dryers and washers, reflector lamps, outdoor lighting, commercial furnaces, and worker training.

You can read the text of the Bill here: http://shaheen.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/FINAL%20TEXT1.pdf