Source: United States General Services Administration
December 7, 2022
GSA continues to accelerate efforts to electrify federal buildings to meet President Biden’s net-zero goal
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan issued the following statement regarding the Biden-Harris Administration’s new electrification standard for the country’s 300,000 existing federal buildings. The new Federal Building Performance Standard requires each agency to electrify 30 percent of their existing buildings by square footage through energy efficient, cost-effective upgrades to equipment and appliances.
“The new standard advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s leadership in making the federal government a model for decarbonization and clean energy innovation,” said GSA Administrator Carnahan. “GSA is excited to help lead the way toward a net-zero federal footprint that will save money for taxpayers, reduce harmful emissions, and help spur demand for next-generation clean energy technologies.”
The Inflation Reduction Act boosts GSA’s efforts to decarbonize federal buildings. Administrator Carnahan recently committed to not use any funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to install new fossil fuel-based equipment. Currently, more than 20% of the buildings in GSA’s portfolio use only electricity, rather than running on on-site fossil fuel-based equipment.
Examples of all-electric buildings in the GSA portfolio that will help to achieve the Administration’s goal of a net-zero emissions federal building portfolio by 2045, including a 50% emissions reduction by 2032, include the Metcalfe Federal Building in Chicago and the new U.S. Courthouse in Greenville, South Carolina, which was completed in July 2021. The new U.S. Courthouse in Des Moines, Iowa, is being constructed as an all-electric building, with occupancy scheduled for early 2023.
In 2023, GSA also will complete the modernization of the Denver Federal Center Building 48, an existing vacant warehouse that will be converted into an efficient, all-electric 150,000-square foot office space for the Department of the Interior. Modernizing this existing building will minimize embodied carbon emissions, and it will be designed and operated to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.
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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA