,,ii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #aaia ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #ai1 #bjac ,mr4 ,bennet 7for himself and ,ms4 ,ayotte7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources ,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 ,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 the 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 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 #c4 ,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 #b7 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 ,agency and the ,secretary 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 ,agreements ,responsibilities under the program developed under subsection 7b7 shall be divided between the ,secretary and the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency in accordance with the terms of applicable agreements between the ,secretary and the ,administrator4 7d7 ,expanding survey data ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,administrator of the ,energy ,information ,administration1 shall-- 7#a7 collect1 through each ,commercial ,building ,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 the data1 and any associated results1 to the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency for use in accordance with subsection 7e74 7e7 ,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 7d7 is received1 the ,secretary and 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 system for commercial buildings1 develop voluntary policies and procedures to recognize tenants 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 7d77#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 under section #dbd7;b7 is completed and following an opportunity for public notice and comment1 the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection and the ,secretary 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 7f7 ,effect on climate change ,for purposes of this section1 the impact on climate change shall not be a factor in determining the energy efficiency of commercial building tenants4 4