Executive Order 13514

Executive Order 13514 is an executive order titled Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance which U.S. President Barack Obama issued on October 5, 2009. EO 13514 was replaced by Executive Order 13693, titled Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade, issued by Obama on March 19, 2015.

Executive Order 13514 mandated that at least 15 percent of existing federal buildings and leases should meet Energy Efficiency Guiding Principles by 2015, and that annual progress be made toward 100 percent conformance of all federal buildings, with a goal of 100% of all new federal buildings achieving zero-net-energy by 2030. The U.S. government is the largest consumer of energy in America. It has roughly 500,000 buildings, and most of these buildings are energy-inefficient. Fifteen percent of 500,000 buildings is 75,000 buildings.

The executive order states that "the Federal Government must lead by example ... increase energy efficiency; measure, report, and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from direct and indirect activities ... design, construct, maintain, and operate high performance sustainable buildings in sustainable locations; strengthen the vitality and livability of the communities in which Federal facilities are located; and inform Federal employees about and involve them in the achievement of these goals."

"Zero-net-energy building" is defined in Executive Order 13514 as "a building that is designed, constructed, and operated to require a greatly reduced quantity of energy to operate, meet the balance of energy needs from sources of energy that do not produce greenhouse gases, and therefore result in no net emissions of greenhouse gases and be economically viable."

Details and timeline

The timeline and means for achieving the stated goal of zero-net-energy federal buildings can be summarized as follows:

• Green roofs are explicitly recommended for government buildings.
• Zero-net-energy goals are to be incorporated into the process of buying or leasing new government properties.
• As of 2020, all planning for new Federal buildings requires design specifications that achieve Zero-Net-Energy use by 2030.
• Large government buildings were to start showing progress by 2015. More specifically, at least 15 percent of any agency's existing buildings and building leases above 5,000 gross square feet must conform to Zero-Net-Energy by Fiscal Year 2015. Ongoing improvement is required.
• Historic buildings may be retrofit to comply with the order.

Implementation

According to a White House report of March 30, 2011:

• Over the two preceding years, "federal agencies have invested $5.8 billion in energy efficiency projects for federal buildings".
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began building its NASA Ames Sustainability Base, with groundbreaking in August 2009. The base is an office complex with special features.
• The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) new Research Support Facility opened.

It is among the first large net zero energy buildings in the world, at 220,000 square feet (18,580 m²). The facility generates as much energy as it uses, and includes solar arrays atop its adjacent parking garage and a number of new technologies, such as NREL- developed transpired solar collectors.

See also

• Net metering
• Energy conservation