West Virginia has enacted House Bill 2667 which will require the Department of Economic Development, Office of Energy to establish a benchmarking and disclosure program for state buildings using the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool. The bill also creates a goal for West Virginia state buildings to reduce their energy use 25% by 2030 relative to 2018 levels. To meet this objective, it directs development of a state building energy savings program, including an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) program to cost-effectively achieve guaranteed energy savings.
Karen Lasure, Energy Development Specialist in the Office of Energy, cited in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, testified that benchmarking, auditing, and other low-cost measures can save 15 to 28 percent off the state government’s $88 million to $100 million building utility bill. This new benchmarking and energy savings policy was stimulated by the West Virginia Benchmarking Initiative that was funded through the U.S. State Energy Program.