US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham met with federal officials in San Francisco May 4, 2001, to determine how federal agencies based in California, which use approximately 1.5 percent of the state’s total energy load, can cut energy demand to help relieve the California energy crisis.
The meeting followed President George W. Bush’s announcement requiring federal agencies to take immediate steps to conserve energy and reduce peak load at their facilities.
To achieve conservation, the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a detailed action plan. During Stage 2 or Stage 3 emergencies in California, facilities are to rapidly reduce electricity loads through increasing indoor air temperature to 78 degrees or shutting off non-essential equipment and lighting. Every federal facility in California is asked to participate in the May 24th Emergency Load Reduction Test sponsored by the California Energy Commission. This exercise will require federal, state, and local governments and private sector businesses to reduce peak loads and conserve energy as if a Stage 3 emergency had been declared. The California Independent System Operator will monitor the load reductions.
The Energy Department’s action plan includes directives for federal managers to pre-cool buildings during off-peak times. Employees are asked to be diligent in reducing their use of lighting and office equipment.
Secretary Abraham has asked DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) to deploy Assessment of Load and Energy Reduction Techniques (ALERT) Teams in up to twenty-four of the largest energy-consuming facilities in California to identify short-term energy saving opportunities. FEMP leverages both federal and private resources to provide financing, technical assistance, and outreach to help federal agencies implement clean-energy projects.
Federal agencies are working towards a 35 percent reduction in energy use by 2010 relative to the 1985 baseline. The steps taken by federal agencies in response to the President’s directive are expected to reduce federal energy demand by 10 percent during peak hours.
For more information, contact DOE.
