Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) is proud to congratulate Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, IL-16) on the announcement that he will co-chair the House Energy Savings Performance Caucus for the 114th Congress. Kinzinger, who will serve as co-chair with Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), is replacing Rep. Corey Gardner, the Caucus’ co-founder, who was elected to the United States Senate in November. The caucus is dedicated to advancing private sector performance contracting to reduce federal energy consumption.
“The federal government is the single largest consumer of energy in the U.S,” Kinzinger said. “Making our energy consumption more efficient not only saves taxpayer money and reduces a huge amount of waste, but it also sets an example for other organizations.”
Welch, who co-founded the caucus with Gardner in 2012 said, “Representative Kinzinger brings to this position the credentials of a widely respected leader on energy efficient issues. I am pleased to partner with him in pursuit of our Caucus goal of saving taxpayer dollars by cutting energy bills at federal agencies.”
In the new Congress, the Caucus will advocate for the use of Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) and Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESCs) at federal departments and agencies and ensure that the Administration achieves its goal of $2 billion in new contracts by the close of 2016.
ESPCs and UESCs are public-private partnerships that allow companies to perform energy upgrades on federal buildings, requiring them to guarantee, measure, and verify the energy cost savings. The companies assume all the costs and risks associated with the upgrades, and the federal government shares in the monetary savings.