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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has been awarded more than $4 million by the Department of Energy (DOE) to undertake three projects aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings, which account for more than 40 percent of the country’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

“The Senate has doubled down on energy efficiency, first with overwhelming bipartisan passage of the comprehensive energy bill — which boasts energy efficiency policies as a cornerstone— and then today with passage of the Energy and Water (E&W) appropriations bill that providessignificant funding for critical energy efficiency programs administered by the U.S. Department of Energy,” said Alliance to Save Energy Director of Government Relations Daniel Bresette.

Fall is nearly here and students across the nation are heading back to class, getting ready to show their school spirit at football games and other sporting events. This year, students at Washington’s Camas School District have something to be extra proud of: their district’s winning sustainability efforts in the Energy Department’s Better Buildings Challenge.

President Obama is unveiling a set of impressive private and public sector commitments aimed at accelerating the Nation’s transition to a cleaner and more productive energy economy. The private sector commitments, combined with a robust set of executive actions, will expand opportunities to install energy saving technologies in households, while also driving the development of low-cost clean energy technologies.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $63 million in loans and grants for 264 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide that USDA is supporting through its Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

Today’s announcement of EPA’s Clean Power Plan is a positive step towards ensuring that the American economy continues its successful path of doubling energy productivity by 2030, a goal endorsed by the President that would not only reduce emissions below what is required under these new regulations, but would also save the United States $327 billion annually and create 1.3 million net new jobs.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved two bills that include provisions to advance energy efficiency in the U.S. Most unfortunately and curiously, one of the bills reported also includes an untenable provision that unduly hampers energy efficiency gains by delaying the establishment of new efficiency standards for furnaces.

Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine is being recognized by EPA with a 2015 Energy Star Combined Heat and Power (CHP) award. CHP technology produces electricity and useful heat simultaneously from a single energy source, such as natural gas, oil, or biomass. For hospital systems and universities, CHP systems can also provide reliability benefits which ensure that these facilities’ operations can continue in the event of power outages

“New standards announced by the Commercial Package Air Conditioners and Commercial Warm Air Furnaces Working Group are the most recent example of the capacity for energy efficiency to unify industry representatives, community advocates and diverse political perspectives to create meaningful recommendations with a significant impact.

During his visit to the state today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is investing in several energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Wyoming.

The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced a new employment program aimed at helping job-ready Veterans exiting homelessness, and those on the brink of homelessness, gain stable and long-term employment.

"A bipartisan group of Senators have released legislation showing strong support for federal funding of energy efficiency research and development at the Department of Energy. The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act is authored by Senator Alexander (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, and co-sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Today marked the beginning of Alliance to Save Energy’s (Alliance) Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global), the world’s premiere, invitation-only forum dedicated to energy efficiency. While the event is only half way over, the energy efficiency conversations during today’s panels, dialogues and networking events have already set the tone for shaping the future of efficiency policies and practices.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today began consideration of legislation to improve how Americans use energy as part of her work to get the first broad energy bill signed into law in nearly a decade. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee received testimony on 22 energy efficiency proposals that address a wide range of issues, including building retrofits, federal energy management, appliance efficiency, workforce development, and efficiency grants.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and nearly 500 businesses from across the country today urged Congress to reject special interest efforts to repeal the law setting goals for reducing fossil fuel use in federal buildings by 2030

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today celebrated Earth Day by announcing support for projects to improve rural water and wastewater services, promote renewable energy, and promote the efficient use of energy resources. I am proud to announce that USDA is providing more than $112 million in loans and grants to help rural communities build and upgrade their water and energy infrastructure systems," said Vilsack.

s part of the Administration’s effort to cut energy waste in the nation’s buildings, the Energy Department will recognize San Antonio area partners today for their leadership in advancing energy efficiency. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) and Macy’s have committed to reducing their energy use by 20 percent across their entire respective building portfolios by 2020.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today applauded Senate passage of energy efficiency legislation from Sen. Portman, R-Ohio, and Sen. Shaheen, D-N.H. The Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015 would promote increased energy efficiency for grid enabled water heaters and in buildings

"If there is one thing lawmakers from both sides of the aisle can agree upon, it’s that energy efficiency is a good thing. It’s good for our economy, good for consumers and businesses and good for our environment. Working until the early hours of the morning, the Senate today unanimously passed S. 535, a small but important package projected to yield roughly $4.6 billion in annual energy savings by 2030, all while creating new jobs and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Notably, these benefits will be realized with little cost to taxpayers and no government mandates