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Committee advances amendment to require feasibility study, not full ASHRAE audit, for state building energy work
Summary
The committee approved an amendment and passed a bill directing a feasibility study for energy use and efficiency at state capital buildings and the government center; proponents said the measure keeps initial costs low and positions the state to pursue larger audits later.
The Government and Regulatory Reform committee voted to pass an amended bill that replaces a mandated ASHRAE level-3 energy audit with a preliminary feasibility study for certain state facilities, the sponsor said, and limits initial costs to keep the work under $100,000.
Senator Zay, who presented the amendment, told the committee the fiscal note had described an ASHRAE level-3 audit that could be costly and that the amendment is intended to provide a lower-cost first step. "The fiscal note speaks to a ASHRAE level 3 energy audit. And that's not the intent of the legislation. It's more of a feasibility study and to keep the cost down under a 100,000 so it will not be, recommitted," Zay said.
Zay said the feasibility study would be a preliminary walk-through of state campuses to determine whether a more comprehensive audit is appropriate. The amendment narrows the initial scope to capital buildings and the government center and identifies the Department of Administration in a permissive ("may") role to carry out the work.
Several witnesses testified in support. Lindsay Hake of Citizens Action Coalition said energy efficiency is "our cheapest kilowatt" and urged the committee to support the bill. David Van Giller of the Hoosier Environmental Council told members studies show substantial energy savings after full audits and cited examples of lighting retrofits that reduced costs and maintenance. Jason Shelley, executive director of the American Institute of Architects' state chapter, said measuring consumption is a necessary first step: "It's kinda hard to figure things out unless you measure it first. You're gonna have to measure it first," he said.
Committee members accepted the amendment by consent and later approved the amended bill on a roll call. The chair recorded 12 affirmative votes; one member (Representative Miller) was recorded as excused in the roll call that followed.
The transcript does not record the bill number with certainty (the chair referenced "Senate bill 210 or 310" and then corrected herself), and it does not include the final statutory text. The committee's action limits the initial study to a feasibility assessment rather than the comprehensive ASHRAE level-3 audit discussed in the fiscal note.
