Biden decarbonization focus shifts to buildings, with goal to triple efficiency, see up to $200B in savings
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Utility Dive Brief:
The Biden administration said Monday it will invest $30 million into workforce initiatives designed to train people to construct and maintain high-performance buildings that utilize renewables, efficient lighting and energy demand management, among other clean energy technologies.
The U.S. Department of Energy also released a grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB) "roadmap," which includes more than a dozen recommendations to integrate buildings with solar and wind power through demand management and storage. The agency estimates such buildings could create savings up to $200 billion through 2040.
The White House also announced new building performance standards for the federal government, spearheaded by the Council on Environmental Quality. The federal government is the single largest energy consumer in the U.S., and its more than 360,000 buildings represent almost 60% of its energy use, according to the Better Buildings Progress Report released alongside the new announcements.