Description:
S. 442 would require the General Services Administration (GSA) to procure lighting systems for use in federal buildings that are the most cost effective and energy efficient when measured over the systems’ expected lifetime. (Life cycle costs include all capital and operating expenses associated with a system over its life expectancy of up to 40 years, including fuel costs.) The bill also would require GSA to issue guidance about the efficiency of new lighting products. A variety of statutory provisions and executive orders direct federal agencies to meet certain goals to reduce the amount of energy used in federal facilities, increase the consumption of electricity that is generated from renewable sources, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, and ensure that federal facilities meet certain standards related to the use of sustainable resources. In addition, the federal government uses life cycle costs to evaluate investments in owned and leased buildings. S. 442 could marginally accelerate meeting energy efficiency goals by encouraging the use of lighting systems that would have higher initial costs but longer-term energy savings. Using information from GSA, CBO estimates that any such costs would be less than $500,000 annually and would total about $2 million over the 2022-2026 period. Any additional savings from reduced energy costs would not be significant over the next five years. All of those effects, both costs and savings, would be subject to future appropriation actions consistent with the bill.
