,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #babf  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #bc1 #bjac ,mr4 
,mc,kinley 7for himself and ,mr4 ,welch7
 introduced the following bill2 which   
was referred to the ,committee on       
,energy and ,commerce  ,a ,,bill  ,to   
facilitate better alignment1            
cooperation1 and best practices between 
commercial real estate landlords and    
tenants regarding energy efficiency in  
buildings1 and for other purposes4  #a4 
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,better ,buildings ,act of #bjac4   
#b4 ,energy efficiency in ,federal and  
other buildings  7a7 ,definitions ,in   
this section3  7#a7 ,administrator ,the 
term ,administrator means the           
,administrator of ,general ,services4   
7#b7 ,cost-effective energy efficiency  
measure ,the terms cost-effective energy
 efficiency measure and measure mean any
 building product1 material1 equipment1 
or service and the installing1          
implementing1 or operating thereof1 that

 provides energy savings in an amount   
that is not less than the cost of such  
installing1 implementing1 or operating4 
7b7 ,model provisions1 policies1 and    
best practices  7#a7 ,in general ,not   
later than #ahj days after the date of  
enactment of this ,act1 the             
,administrator1 in consultation with the
 ,secretary of ,energy and after        
providing the public with an opportunity
 for notice and comment1 shall develop  
model leasing provisions and best       
practices in accordance with this       
subsection4  7#b7 ,commercial leasing   
7,a7 ,in general ,the model commercial  
leasing provisions developed under this 
subsection shall1 at a minimum1 align   
the interests of building owners and    
tenants with regard to investments in   
cost-effective energy efficiency        
measures to encourage building owners   
and tenants to collaborate to invest in 
such measures4  7,b7 ,use of model      
provisions ,the ,administrator may use  
the model provisions developed under    

this subsection in any standard leasing 
document that designates a ,federal     
agency 7or other client of the          
,administrator7 as a landlord or tenant4
  7,c7 ,publication ,the ,administrator 
shall periodically publish the model    
leasing provisions developed under this 
subsection1 along with explanatory      
materials1 to encourage building owners 
and tenants in the private sector to use
 such provisions and materials4  7#c7   
,realty services ,the ,administrator    
shall develop policies and practices to 
implement cost-effective energy         
efficiency measures for the realty      
services provided by the ,administrator 
to ,federal agencies 7or other clients  
of the ,administrator71 including       
periodic training of appropriate        
,federal employees and contractors on   
how to identify and evaluate those      
measures4  7#d7 ,state and local        
assistance ,the ,administrator1 in      
consultation with the ,secretary of     
,energy1 shall make available model     

leasing provisions and best practices   
developed under this subsection to      
,state1 county1 and municipal           
governments to manage owned and leased  
building space in accordance with the   
goal of encouraging investment in all   
cost-effective energy efficiency        
measures4  #c4 ,separate spaces with    
high-performance energy efficiency      
measures ,subtitle ,b of title ,,iv of  
the ,energy ,independence and ,security 
,act of #bjjg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agjha et  
seq47 is amended by adding at the end   
the following3  #dbd4 ,separate spaces  
with high-performance energy efficiency 
measures  7a7 ,definitions ,in this     
section3  7#a7 ,high-performance energy 
efficiency measure ,the term            
high-performance energy efficiency      
measure means a technology1 product1 or 
practice that will result in substantial
 operational cost savings by reducing   
energy consumption and utility costs4   
7#b7 ,separate spaces ,the term separate
 spaces means areas within a commercial 

building that are leased or otherwise   
occupied by a tenant or other occupant  
for a period of time pursuant to the    
terms of a written agreement4  7b7      
,study  7#a7 ,in general ,not later than
 #a year after the date of enactment of 
this section1 the ,secretary1 acting    
through the ,assistant ,secretary of    
,energy ,efficiency and ,renewable      
,energy1 shall complete a study on the  
feasibility of--  7,a7 significantly    
improving energy efficiency in          
commercial buildings through the design 
and construction1 by owners and tenants1
 of separate spaces with                
high-performance energy efficiency      
measures2 and  7,b7 encouraging owners  
and tenants to implement                
high-performance energy efficiency      
measures in separate spaces4  7#b7      
,scope ,the study shall1 at a minimum1  
include--  7,a7 descriptions of--  7i7  
high-performance energy efficiency      
measures that should be considered as   
part of the initial design and          

construction of separate spaces2  7ii7  
processes that owners1 tenants1         
architects1 and engineers may replicate 
when designing and constructing separate
 spaces with high-performance energy    
efficiency measures2  7iii7 standards   
and best practices to achieve           
appropriate energy intensities for      
lighting1 plug loads1 pipe loads1       
heating1 cooling1 cooking1 laundry1 and 
other systems to satisfy the needs of   
the commercial building tenant2  7iv7   
return on investment and payback        
analyses of the incremental cost and    
projected energy savings of the proposed
 set of high-performance energy         
efficiency measures1 including          
consideration of tax and other available
 incentives2  7v7 models and simulation 
methods that predict the quantity of    
energy used by separate spaces with     
high-performance energy efficiency      
measures and that compare that predicted
 quantity to the quantity of energy used
 by separate spaces without             

high-performance energy efficiency      
measures but that otherwise comply with 
applicable building code requirements2  
7vi7 measurement and verification       
platforms demonstrating actual energy   
use of high-performance energy          
efficiency measures installed in        
separate spaces1 and whether such       
measures generate the savings intended  
in the initial design and construction  
of the separate spaces2  7vii7 best     
practices that encourage an integrated  
approach to designing and constructing  
separate spaces to perform at optimum   
energy efficiency in conjunction with   
the central systems of a commercial     
building2 and  7viii7 any impact on     
employment resulting from the design and
 construction of separate spaces with   
high-performance energy efficiency      
measures2 and  7,b7 case studies        
reporting economic and energy saving    
returns in the design and construction  
of separate spaces with high-performance
 energy efficiency measures4  7#c7      

,public participation ,not later than   
#ij days after the date of the enactment
 of this section1 the ,secretary shall  
publish a notice in the ,federal        
,register requesting public comments    
regarding effective methods1 measures1  
and practices for the design and        
construction of separate spaces with    
high-performance energy efficiency      
measures4  7#d7 ,publication ,the       
,secretary shall publish the study on   
the website of the ,department of       
,energy4  4  #d4 ,tenant star program   
,subtitle ,b of title ,,iv of the       
,energy ,independence and ,security ,act
 of #bjjg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agjha et seq47
 7as amended by section #c7 is amended  
by adding at the end the following3     
#dbe4 ,tenant star program  7a7         
,definitions ,in this section3  7#a7    
,high-performance energy efficiency     
measure ,the term high-performance      
energy efficiency measure has the       
meaning given the term in section #dbd4 
7#b7 ,separate spaces ,the term separate

 spaces has the meaning given the term  
in section #dbd4  7b7 ,tenant ,star ,the
 ,administrator of the ,environmental   
,protection ,agency1 in consultation    
with the ,secretary of ,energy1 shall   
develop a voluntary program within the  
,energy ,star program established by    
section #cbd;,a of the ,energy ,policy  
and ,conservation ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#fbid;a71 which may be known as ,tenant 
,star1 to promote energy efficiency in  
separate spaces leased by tenants or    
otherwise occupied within commercial    
buildings4  7c7 ,expanding survey data  
,the ,secretary of ,energy1 acting      
through the ,administrator of the       
,energy ,information ,administration1   
shall--  7#a7 collect1 through each     
,commercial ,buildings ,energy          
,consumption ,survey of the ,energy     
,information ,administration that is    
conducted after the date of enactment of
 this section1 data on--  7,a7          
categories of building occupancy that   
are known to consume significant        

quantities of energy1 such as occupancy 
by law firms1 data centers1 trading     
floors1 restaurants1 retail outlets1 and
 financial services firms2 and  7,b7    
other aspects of the property1 building 
operation1 or building occupancy        
determined by the ,administrator of the 
,energy ,information ,administration1 in
 consultation with the ,administrator of
 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1
 to be relevant in lowering energy      
consumption2 and  7#b7 make data        
collected under paragraph 7#a7 available
 to the public in aggregated form and   
provide such data1 and any associated   
results1 to the ,administrator of the   
,environmental ,protection ,agency for  
use in accordance with subsection 7d74  
7d7 ,recognition of owners and tenants  
7#a7 ,occupancy-based recognition ,not  
later than #a year after the date on    
which the data described in subsection  
7c7 is received1 the ,administrator of  
the ,environmental ,protection ,agency  
shall1 following an opportunity for     

public notice and comment--  7,a7 in a  
manner similar to the ,energy ,star     
rating system1 develop policies and     
procedures to recognize tenants in      
commercial buildings that voluntarily   
achieve high levels of energy efficiency
 in separate spaces2  7,b7 establish    
building occupancy categories eligible  
for ,tenant ,star recognition based on  
the data collected under subsection     
7c77#a7 and any associated results2 and 
7,c7 consider other forms of recognition
 for commercial building tenants or     
other occupants that lower energy       
consumption in separate spaces4  7#b7   
,design- and construction-based         
recognition ,after the study required by
 section #dbd7;b7 is completed1 the     
,administrator of the ,environmental    
,protection ,agency1 in consultation    
with the ,secretary and following an    
opportunity for public notice and       
comment1 may develop a voluntary program
 to recognize commercial building owners
 and tenants that use high-performance  

energy efficiency measures in the design
 and construction of separate spaces4   
7e7 ,effect on ,climate ,change ,for    
purposes of this section1 the impact on 
climate change shall not be a factor in 
determining energy efficiency of        
commercial building tenants4  4