Legislation Would ‘Fix’ Requirements of Energy Efficiency Bill
A bill introduced by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., would provide a legislative fix to a mandate that requires electronic security devices to meet certain efficiency standards while in “no-load” mode.
The efficiency standards outlined in the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 apply to security and life safety devices — such as video surveillance and access control systems — even though they are always in “active” mode.
To correct this, the Security Industry Association (SIA) organized a coalition that includes both industry and environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), to draft legislative language and advocate for a fix.
Bingaman, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, included the measure in Section 4 of Senate Bill 3059 (“National Energy Efficiency Enhancement Act of 2010”), which would make technical corrections to EISA. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the committee’s ranking Republican, and Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., cosponsored the bill.
“We are very grateful to Chairman Bingaman for his leadership in developing this common sense, bipartisan proposal that has the support of some of the most widely respected environmental groups in the country and many SIA member companies,” SIA Director of Research and Technology Mark Visbal says. “This technical amendment from Chairman Bingaman and Senators Murkowski and Menendez strikes the right balance for all interested parties.”
The measure would retain EISA’s “active” mode efficiency standards for security and life safety products.
SIA’s leadership in developing consensus on the issue, Visbal and other association officials notes, offers an important example of the group’s commitment to providing results for its members and the entire security industry.
In addition to SIA and the NRDC, the provision is supported by the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project and the Electronic Security Association.
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