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Title

03

:
Executive






Chapter

045

:
ADMINISTRATION






Subchapter

004
:
DEPARTMENTS, DIVISIONS, AND BOARDS










 

§

2291. State Agency Energy Plan

(a) Definitions.

(1) When used in

this title, "life-cycle costs" shall mean the present value purchase

price of an item, plus the replacement cost, plus or minus the salvage value,

plus the present value of operation and maintenance costs, plus the energy and

environmental externalities' costs or benefits. Where reliable data enables the

Department of Buildings and General Services to establish these additional

environmental externalities' costs or benefits with respect to a particular

purchasing decision or category of purchasing decisions, that is energy

related, the Department may recommend the addition or subtraction of an

additional price factor. All State agencies shall consider the price factor and

environmental considerations set by the Department when examining life-cycle

costs for purchasing decisions.

(2) "State

facilities," when used in this chapter, shall mean all State-owned or

leased buildings, structures, appurtenances, and grounds.

(3) "State

fleet," as used in this chapter, shall mean passenger vehicles and light

duty trucks for use by State employees in the conduct of official duties,

excluding law enforcement vehicles assigned to sworn law enforcement officers,

and shall be procured by the Commissioner of Buildings and General Services.

(b) It is the

general policy of the State of Vermont:

(1) To ensure,

to the greatest extent practicable, that State government can meet its energy

needs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a manner that is adequate, reliable,

secure, and sustainable; that assures affordability and encourages the State's

economic vitality, the efficient use of energy resources, and cost-effective

demand side management; and that is environmentally sound.

(2) To identify

and evaluate, on an ongoing basis, resources that will meet State government

energy service, infrastructure, purchasing and supply, and fleet needs in

accordance with the principles of least cost integrated planning; including

efficiency, conservation and load management alternatives, purchasing

preferences, wise use of renewable resources and environmentally sound

infrastructure development, energy supply, purchasing practices, and fleet

management.

(c) The

Secretary of Administration with the cooperation of the Commissioners of Public

Service and of Buildings and General Services shall develop and oversee the

implementation of a State Agency Energy Plan for State government. The Plan

shall be adopted by June 30, 2005, modified as necessary, and readopted by the

Secretary on or before January 15, 2010 and each sixth year subsequent to 2010.

The Plan shall accomplish the following objectives and requirements:

(1) To conserve

resources, save energy, and reduce pollution. The Plan shall devise strategies

to identify to the greatest extent feasible all opportunities for conservation

of resources through environmentally and economically sound infrastructure

development, purchasing, and fleet management, and investments in renewable

energy and energy efficiency available to the State which are cost effective on

a life-cycle cost basis.

(2) To consider

State policies and operations that affect energy use.

(3) To devise a

strategy to implement or acquire all prudent opportunities and investments in

as prompt and efficient a manner as possible.

(4) To include

appropriate provisions for monitoring resource and energy use and evaluating

the impact of measures undertaken.

(5) To identify

education, management, and other relevant policy changes that are a part of the

implementation strategy.

(6) To devise a

strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Plan shall include steps to

encourage more efficient trip planning, to reduce the average fuel consumption

of the State fleet, to encourage alternatives to solo-commuting State employees

for commuting and job-related travel, and to incorporate conventional hybrid,

plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles into the State fleet if

cost-effective on a life-cycle basis.

(7) To provide,

where feasible, for the installation of renewable energy systems including

solar energy systems, which shall include equipment or building design

features, or both, designed to attain the optimal mix of minimizing solar gain

in the summer and maximizing solar gain during the winter, as part of the new

construction or major renovation of any State building. The cost of

implementation and installation will be identified as part of the budget

process presented to the General Assembly.

(d) The

Department of Buildings and General Services shall coordinate State purchasing

decisions, according to procedures developed by the Commissioner in cooperation

with the Commissioner of Public Service, to ensure comparisons based on

relative life-cycle costs.

(e) The

Commissioner of Buildings and General Services shall develop life-cycle cost

guidelines for use in all State buildings. These guidelines shall require all

new construction and major renovations to meet or exceed the current

"Vermont Commercial Building Energy Standards." Where practicable,

the goal shall be attaining an EPA ENERGY STAR/rs rating of at least 75.

(1) The

Department of Buildings and General Services shall develop a State strategy to

reduce overall energy consumption in existing and proposed State buildings

based on energy consumption levels specified in the energy conservation

standard referred to in this subsection. The Plan shall identify, in buildings

at variance with the energy standards referred to in this subsection, the cost

to bring the building into compliance, and energy cost savings for the remaining

useful life of the building.

(2) Each State

agency and department, designated by the Secretary of Administration, which

constructs or manages State buildings shall, by June 30, 2005, assure that new

construction or major renovation of such structures incorporates those

practical energy efficiency measures and energy consuming systems that result

in the lowest life-cycle cost. New construction of State buildings shall be

highly efficient and shall employ optimal siting and design, given the uses to

which the buildings are to be put, with respect to solar gain and temperature

control. State buildings shall be shaded and ventilated and their air

circulation managed, to the extent practical, instead of being cooled by air

conditioning.

(3) In capital

requests to the General Assembly, the Commissioner of Buildings and General

Services shall include, when appropriate, work plans, budgets, and proposed

financing mechanisms to accomplish these reductions in energy use.

(f) The

Commissioner of Buildings and General Services shall biennially report to the

Secretary of Administration on the State's implementation of this section.

(Added 1991, No. 259 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; amended 1995, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), §

4(a), eff. May 6, 1996; 1995, No. 148 (Adj. Sess.), § 4(c)(1), eff. May 6,

1996; 1995, No. 178 (Adj. Sess.), § 299; 2003, No. 121 (Adj. Sess.), § 38, eff.

June 8, 2004; 2007, No. 209 (Adj. Sess.), § 1a; 2009, No. 43, § 44, eff. May

27, 2009; 2009, No. 161 (Adj. Sess.), § 28, eff. June 4, 2010; 2013, No. 89, §

29a.)