Improve Energy Performance, Reduce Costs, Meet Goals

FEMP's EMIS Technical Resources Report  discusses how to identify and implement EMIS functions and capabilities, including system design, procurement, implementation, and ongoing maintenance.

The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) offers resources to help federal agencies implement energy management information systems (EMIS) for their buildings and campuses. FEMP features guidance and resources to assist federal sites in complying with statutory building benchmarking requirements and provides federal agency guidelines for energy and water metering, including reviews of commercially available energy data management systems.

FEMP also offers resources for federal agency procurement of energy-efficient products and energy-saving technologies, and compiles case studies about successful federal EMIS projects.

FEMP Guidance and Resources

FEMP provides tools and guidance to help agencies meet Federal Facility Management and Benchmarking Requirements from Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) Section 432.

Federal Comprehensive Annual Energy Reporting Requirements provides guidance on comprehensive fiscal year reporting to meet the energy management requirements of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 8253-8258); the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15852); and associated executive orders.

The Technical Resilience Navigator (TRN) helps organizations manage the risk to critical missions from disruptions in energy and water services through a comprehensive, risk-informed resilience planning process. Its systematic approach to identifying energy and water resilience gaps and developing and prioritizing solutions that reduce risk enables organizations to address vulnerabilities to their critical energy and water systems, reduce outage impacts, and support continuous mission operations.

FEMP audit guidance and tools help federal agencies save energy and water by identifying energy conservation measures that meet the evaluation requirement set by EISA Section 232. Some of FEMP's audit resources include workforce development (training), energy/water analysis tools, a decision tree to identify the appropriate audit approach, and statement of work templates to assist agencies in procuring audit services.

FEMP provides re-tuning resources for federal agencies. Re-tuning is a form of retro-commissioning, which is required by EISA Section 232. FEMP has been very active in engaging agencies on the re-tuning concept. Resources include training (workforce development), re-tuning assistance, and regional workshops. Early reports show re-tuning at federal sites resulted in approximately 18% annual energy savings.

FEMP provides agencies with guides and resources on how to increase water efficiency and reduce water use in federal buildings and campuses. For example, the Water Metering Resources offer technical information to assist agencies in developing a prioritization for water metering of buildings using a comprehensive water use approach.

FEMP offers information on healthy buildings, which includes federal buildings research integrating energy efficiency with health outcomes and financial benefits. The initiative also provides a toolkit for federal agency decision making and implementation of specific measures.

FEMP plays a key role in helping agencies understand and meet energy-related goals, including those surrounding grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB). This support includes identifying, sharing, and demonstrating GEB best practices among federal agencies, as well as providing technical support and developing tools and resources.

ENERGY STAR Resources

The ENERGY STAR Benchmarking Starter Kit provides step-by-step guidance on how to benchmark a building using Portfolio Manager.

Better Buildings Resources

The Better Buildings Smart Energy Analytics Campaign Toolkit helps facility owners and managers take advantage of savings opportunities and performance improvements from EMIS and ongoing monitoring practices.

The Better Buildings Solution Center offers EMIS-related courses, guides, and resources for commercial building managers and operators.

The Better Buildings Solution Center's EMIS Specification and Procurement Support Materials are tailored to federal sector requirements and allow users to create a customized draft RFP to match their agency's specifications.

The EMIS Field Evaluation Protocol and Support Materials are also available in the Better Buildings Solution Center. For federal facilities implementing EMIS, the protocol and accompanying data reporting template provide a standardized approach to validate the energy and non-energy benefits of EMIS. The primary target audiences for the protocol are evaluators and researchers from federal or state-sponsored emerging technology programs, utility industry emerging technology programs, and large building portfolio pilot studies.

FedCenter Resources

FedCenter consolidates federal acquisition resources to help federal agencies meet their environmentally preferable and energy efficient purchasing goals.

50001 Ready Resources

The U.S. Department of Energy's 50001 Ready Program recognizes facilities and organizations that implement ISO 50001-based energy management systems. To maximize the effectiveness of the EMIS system, the site or agency should implement a companion energy management system (EnMS), an organizational process that codifies the energy goals and policies, empowers staff by leadership commitment, and executes on the EMIS outcomes to improve energy performance.

This EnMS process includes proper staffing and training, developing energy improvement lists, and coordinating with energy and operations staff and management to implement operational and project-based improvements and should comply with the new ISO 50001 requirements in the Energy Act of 2020. The 50001 Ready Navigator is an online tool that provides step-by-step guidance in implementing an EnMS.