Energy consumption by the federal government is at the lowest point since 1975, in part due to the increase of energy efficiency, or green building, in the construction of federal buildings.
Gilmore supports the U.S. Green Building Council which has led the way of such efforts. The council points out, “The analysis from EIA points to the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), which set requirements to achieve 30 percent reduction in federal building energy use and 65 percent reduction in fossil fuel consumption of new or renovated federal buildings by 2015, as a reason for the downward trend.”
While LEED-certified, or energy efficient, buildings were not specifically mentioned in the analysis, it’s clear the 150 million square feet of federal buildings that are LEED certified has contributed to the decrease in energy consumption.