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| FEMP | |
|---|---|
| Name | FEMP |
| Type | Programmatic initiative |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Leader title | Director |
| Parent organization | U.S. Department of Energy |
FEMP
The Federal Energy Management Program is a U.S. program administered within the U.S. Department of Energy that advances energy efficiency, renewable energy, and utility management across federal government facilities. It provides technical assistance, policy guidance, and funding mechanisms to federal agencies to meet statutory and executive mandates such as the Energy Policy Act of 1992, Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and Executive Order 13514. FEMP collaborates with agencies, laboratories, industry partners, and standards bodies to implement projects at scale and reduce federal energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
FEMP is defined as a federal program within the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy that supports energy management across federal sites including installations operated by the Department of Defense, General Services Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Department of Homeland Security. Core activities include performance contracting using Energy Savings Performance Contracts, implementation of Utility Energy Service Contracts, development of energy management standards aligned with ASHRAE, and promotion of renewable procurement consistent with Green-e certification. FEMP issues guidance tied to statutes such as the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements, liaising with oversight entities like the Government Accountability Office.
Origins trace to energy crises of the 1970s and subsequent federal responses such as the National Energy Act era reforms. In the 1980s and 1990s, FEMP expanded alongside initiatives from the Department of Energy and collaborations with national laboratories including Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Legislative milestones including the Energy Policy Act of 1992, the National Energy Conservation Policy Act, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 shaped program priorities. FEMP evolved through administrations from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama and Donald Trump, adapting to executive orders like Executive Order 13514 and Executive Order 13693 which set federal sustainability and greenhouse gas goals. International events such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement influenced federal targets and interagency coordination.
FEMP administers a portfolio of programs: technical assistance, training, financing, and recognition. Training interfaces include partnerships with Federal Energy Management Program training centers and collaborations with professional societies like American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Financing tools center on Energy Savings Performance Contracts, Utility Energy Service Contracts, and support for projects using mechanisms promoted by U.S. Department of the Treasury bond guidance. Renewable energy procurement initiatives align with markets and standards such as Renewable Energy Certificates and programs run by Bonneville Power Administration and Western Area Power Administration. FEMP’s metering, measurement, and verification guidance references protocols from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Defense energy directives.
FEMP operates within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy under the U.S. Department of Energy and interacts with interagency bodies including the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget. Governance includes a director reporting to EERE leadership, program managers, technical leads, and regional liaisons who coordinate with facility managers at agencies such as the Department of the Interior and United States Postal Service. FEMP consults with standards organizations like ASTM International and Underwriters Laboratories for codes and compliance, and engages congressional committees including the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on policy and appropriations.
FEMP funding is a combination of congressional appropriations to the U.S. Department of Energy, fee-for-service arrangements, and facilitation of third-party financing through mechanisms linked to the Federal Financing Bank and private sector contractors. Annual budget lines have been reviewed by the Government Accountability Office and appropriations by the House Committee on Appropriations and Senate Committee on Appropriations. Funding supports technical assistance, pilot projects with national laboratories, and grants or awards in coordination with agencies such as the General Services Administration and Department of Defense. Energy Savings Performance Contracts and Utility Energy Service Contracts leverage private capital, altering appropriations pressure while involving firms like large engineering and construction contractors.
Evaluations by the Government Accountability Office and academic researchers at institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University of California, Berkeley have examined FEMP’s role in reducing federal energy intensity, increasing renewable energy procurement, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Case studies include retrofits at Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers, installations at Fort Bragg, and federal office campus upgrades managed with the General Services Administration. Metrics used include energy use intensity, cost savings reported in agency annual sustainability reports, and performance contract savings validated by third-party auditors and standards from National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Critiques have focused on the pace of implementation, oversight of performance contracts, measurement and verification rigor, and transparency of savings claims. Reports from the Government Accountability Office and audits by agency inspectors general at the Department of Defense and Department of Energy have flagged issues such as contract management, guaranteed savings shortfalls, and lifecycle cost accounting. Debates in Congress and among stakeholders including environmental NGOs and industry trade groups center on balancing upfront investment, contractor incentives, and federal procurement requirements overseen by bodies like the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council.
Category:United States Department of Energy