[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 147 (Friday, July 31, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45647-45648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-18868]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

[Docket Number EERE-2015-BT-BLDG-0012]


Request for Information (RFI) for High-Performance Energy 
Efficiency Measures in Separate Spaces

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Request for Information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: As part of the requirements of Section 103 of the Energy 
Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 
is requesting public comment regarding effective methods, measures, and 
practices for the design and construction of separate building spaces 
(also known as tenant spaces) to create high-performance, energy 
efficient spaces. In preparation for completing a study required by the 
Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015, DOE is requesting 
information on the feasibility of significantly improving energy 
efficiency in commercial buildings through the design and construction, 
by owners and tenants, of separate spaces with high-performance energy 
efficiency measures; and encouraging owners and tenants to implement 
high-performance energy efficiency measures in separate spaces. The 
term `high-performance energy efficiency measure' means a technology, 
product, or practice that will result in substantial operational cost 
savings by reducing energy consumption and utility costs while 
maintaining indoor air quality, appropriate light levels and occupant 
comfort. DOE will use input from this Federal Register notice to inform 
the study, to be completed by April 30, 2016.

DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before 
September 30, 2015.

ADDRESSES: The content that we are requesting your feedback on is 
located at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2015-BT-
BLDG-0012. Interested persons are encouraged to submit comments 
electronically. Interested persons may submit comments, identified by 
docket number EERE-2015-BT-BLDG-0012. Your response should be limited 
to 8 pages.
    Email: [email protected]. Include EERE-2015-BT-
BLDG-0012 in the subject line of the message. Submit electronic 
comments

[[Page 45648]]

in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, and avoid the use of special 
characters or any form of encryption.
    Or Mail to: U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., 
Mailstop EE-5B, Washington, DC 20585.
     Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency 
name and docket number.
    Docket: The docket is available for review at www.regulations.gov, 
including Federal Register notices, comments, and other supporting 
documents/materials (search EERE-2015-BT-BLDG-0012). All documents in 
the docket are listed in the www.regulations.gov index.
    A link to the docket Web page can be found at: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EERE-2015-BT-BLDG-0012. This Web 
page contains a link to the docket for this notice on the 
www.regulations.gov site. The www.regulations.gov Web page contains 
instructions on how to access all documents, including public comments, 
in the docket. See section II, Public Participation for further 
information on submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct requests for additional 
information may be sent to Mr. Jason Hartke, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies 
Program, EE-5B, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-
0121. Telephone: 202-586-9632.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Discussion

    DOE is seeking public input on questions that will help inform a 
study on the feasibility of significantly improving energy efficiency 
in commercial buildings through the design and construction, by owners 
and tenants, of separate tenant spaces using high-performance energy 
efficiency measures; and encouraging owners and tenants to implement 
high-performance energy efficiency measures in separate spaces.
    This request seeks comments related to the following: (1) High-
performance energy efficiency measures that should be considered as 
part of the initial design and construction of separate spaces; (2) 
actual energy savings measured as a result of implementing energy 
efficiency measures in tenant space design and construction; (3) 
processes that owners, tenants, architects, engineers and other 
building experts may replicate when designing and constructing separate 
spaces with high-performance energy efficiency measures, and the cost-
effectiveness and scalability of such processes; (4) policies and best 
practices to achieve reductions in energy intensities for lighting, 
plug loads, heating, cooling, cooking, laundry, and other systems that 
support the commercial building tenant; (5) financial metrics like 
return on investment and payback analyses of the incremental cost and 
projected energy savings of the proposed set of high-performance energy 
efficiency measures, including consideration of available incentives; 
(6) models and simulation methods that predict the quantity of energy 
used by separate spaces with high-performance energy efficiency 
measures and that compare predicted quantity to the quantity of energy 
used by separate spaces without high-performance energy efficiency 
measures but that would otherwise comply with applicable code 
requirements; (7) measurement and verification platforms and methods 
that allow measurement of the impact of high-performance energy 
efficiency measures installed in separate spaces, including metering 
configurations and data access; (8) best practices and existing systems 
or programs that encourage an integrated approach to designing and 
constructing separate spaces to perform at optimum energy efficiency in 
conjunction with the central systems of a commercial building; (9) any 
impact on employment and job creation resulting from the design and 
construction of separate spaces using high-performance energy 
efficiency measures; (10) case studies or other analyses or studies 
that report the economic and energy savings returns in the design and 
construction of separate spaces with high-performance energy efficiency 
measures; (11) best practices for encouraging owners and tenants to 
implement high-performance energy efficiency measures in separate 
spaces; and; (12) prevalence and configuration of energy sub metering 
nationwide at the level of individual tenant spaces in commercial 
buildings, including information about whether critical consumption 
activities such as HVAC, data storage, or lighting are separately sub 
metered; (13) identification of data on key determinants of energy 
performance in tenant spaces that could be used to guide the 
development of wider national data collection and most feasible 
approaches for collecting such data; and (14) availability of hourly 
data and information on specific energy management programs in place in 
tenant spaces.

II. Public Participation

    All interested parties are invited to submit in writing by the date 
specified in the DATES section of this RFI, comments and information on 
all elements listed in the discussion section above. Comments may be 
submitted on or before September 30, 2015. Please submit comments only 
and cite docket number EERE-2015-BT-BLDG-0012, in all correspondence 
related to this case. All comments received will be posted without 
change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal and/or 
business confidential information provided. Visit http://www.doe.gov/cbi for more information.
    Please limit comments to no more than a total of 8 pages.

    Issued in Washington, DC, July 27, 2015.
Kathleen B. Hogan,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2015-18868 Filed 7-30-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P