Congressional Briefing to address high performance buildings.
Press Release Summary:
Energy efficiency of high-performance buildings has potential to go even higher through proposed national "smart" electric power grid being developed by U.S. government and leading industry groups. Scheduled for July 23 at B-340 Rayburn House Office Buildings, briefing for Congressional staff will address how buildings can connect to Smart Grid, technologies and equipment necessary for success, and expectations for what the Smart Grid would look like.
Original Press Release:
Congressional Briefing: Improving Performance of Buildings through "Smarter" Operation
ATLANTA - The energy efficiency of high-performance buildings has the potential to go even higher through a proposed national "smart" electric power grid being developed by the U.S. government and leading industry groups.
"Through implementation of the Smart Grid, we will have better information about our energy use and the ability to make informed decisions on how and when energy can be used most efficiently," said Doug Read, ASHRAE program director of government affairs. "Given that 70 percent of the U.S. electricity use is in buildings, there is a critical need to examine how buildings and their equipment will interact and communicate with the Smart Grid."
A briefing for Congressional staff on high-performance buildings and the Smart Grid will take place from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. July 23 at B-340 Rayburn House Office Buildings. Speakers will address how buildings can connect to the Smart Grid, the technologies and equipment necessary for success and the expectations for what the Smart Grid would look like.
The briefing is sponsored by the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition, which works to heighten awareness and inform policymakers about the major impact buildings have on health, safety and welfare. ASHRAE serves as the Coalition's secretariat and is a leading sponsor of the briefing with NEMA, a trade association for the electrical manufacturing industry.
ASHRAE's BACnet standard is already providing a critical framework for how buildings and their systems will communicate with the Smart Grid. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the lead federal agency in development of the Smart Grid, has recognized the valuable role of the BACnet standard.
Co-chairs of the High-Performance Building Caucus, Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill., and Rep. Russ Carnahan, D- Mo., will provide welcome remarks. Speakers are:
