DOE Releases Federal Building Metering Guidance

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 required the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish guidelines for agencies to meter their Federal buildings for electricity.  DOE issued the guidance in February 2006.  The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 subsequently established that each agency shall provide equivalent metering of natural gas and steam (see 42 U.S.C. § 8253(e)). By the close of fiscal year 2013, Federal agencies collectively reported installing 96% of electricity, 96% of natural gas, and 69% of steam meters at buildings the agencies deemed appropriate.

The Presidential Memorandum, Federal Leadership on Energy Management (Dec. 5, 2013), re-emphasized the requirements for installing electricity, natural gas, and steam meters and provided an additional requirement for installing water meters. The memorandum directed the DOE Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) to revise the metering guidance and include definitions for “cost effective” and “appropriate” (for determining where meters should be installed).

Federal Building Metering Guidance (per 42 USC 8253(e) Metering of Energy Use) November 2014 Update supersedes the February 2006 guidance. The updated guidance is now published in the Metering section of FEMP website with a direct link to the download page:

Notable updates include: expanding the metering guidance to include natural gas, steam, and water; revising the definitions of appropriate and cost-effective for determining where to install meters; providing a recommended approach for prioritizing the installation of meters; and reiterating the requirement to incorporate metered data into agency data tracking systems.

The guidance requires federal agencies to review, revise, and submit to FEMP its metering implementation plan within one year. Each agency plan shall include a metering implementation plan for each individual sub-agency (bureau, component, service, etc.) within its jurisdiction.  The updated agency plan shall consider resources required and prioritize metering implementation efforts for “appropriate” Federal buildings over the next five years.  Resource limitations may inhibit the installation of separate meters at every “appropriate” federal building within the five-year planning cycle. Consequently, agencies should provide a path forward for those remaining buildings following the initial five years.