WASHINGTON — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced its opposition to a U.S. House of Representatives proposal to repeal Section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. Section 433 calls for federal buildings to reduce their fossil fuel-generated energy consumption and eventually eliminate it by 2030.

Robert Ivy, FAIA, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the AIA, issued a statement saying:

“The AIA is opposed to efforts to weaken or eliminate Sec. 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. According to the DOE’s Energy Information Administration, buildings account for almost 40 percent of total U.S. energy consumption, more than both the transportation and industry sectors.

“Requiring significant energy reduction targets in new and renovated federal buildings demonstrates to the private sector that the federal government is leading by example.

• It is helping spur the development of new materials, construction techniques, and technologies to make buildings more energy efficient. And it is showing that significant energy reductions are both practical and cost-effective.

• Architects and their allied professionals are already succeeding in making federal facilities meet Sec. 433, including NREL’s [National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s] new Research Support Facilities (RSF) in Colorado, which opened in 2010.

• The result is better energy performance for federal agencies and lower overall costs for taxpayers. More importantly, private sector owners are increasingly adopting these technologies and strategies for their buildings.

“Weakening or repealing Sec. 433 with no deliberation or discussion will dramatically harm the federal government’s ability to design and build facilities that use less energy and protect the environment.”

For more information, visit www.aia.org.

Publication date: 05/21/2012