The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007) endorses and increases the objectives set forth in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Although solar hot water systems are not considered a form of renewable energy, section 523 the EISA 2007 requires that at least 30% of the hot water needs for new federal buildings and major renovations must be accomplished by the use of solar hot water technology.
EISA 2007 also states that newly installed solar hot water systems must be life-cycle cost-effective. Solar hot water systems designed to supply from 70% to 80% of the load will reduce the life-cycle cost. Systems designed for 100% of the load will maximize the cost and will generally not be life-cycle cost effective.
Examples of federal facilities in compliance with EISA 2007 include the following:
One of the largest solar hot water systems in a federal building is located in the Phoenix Federal Correctional Institution. This solar hot water system provides 70% of the facilities needs by producing 50,000 gallons of hot water daily. The life-cycle cost effective system delivers approximately 300 million Btu per month, offsetting 88,500 kWh per month which incurs a monthly average savings of $5600.
The solar hot water system at the Mid-Atlantic Social Security Center in Philadelphia supplies 124, 000 Btu in order to produce 1100 gallons of hot water per day, about 70% of the total load. In addition to offsetting substantial KWh’s, the yearly cost savings is approximately $5,000 per year and is life-cycle cost effective.
Future design and construction of solar hot water systems in federal buildings continues to be imminent. Currently, only 1% of the 500,000 federal buildings owned and occupied by the U.S. government use solar hot water systems. There seems to be no shortage of federal buildings that could be replaced or updated to include solar hot water systems.