A bi-partisan effort in the United States House of Representatives saw the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2014 (HR 2126) pass on March 5.

The bill was sponsored by Representatives David McKinley and Peter Welch, a Republican and a Democrat, respectively. It includes a number of provisions that aim to increase energy efficiency in buildings.

The Better Buildings Act provision introduces the “Tenant Star” recognition program that will encourage commercial building tenants to save energy.

The Energy Efficient Government Technology Act for federal agencies will improve the efficiency of federal data centres, through the implementation of energy-saving information technologies. An additional provision encourages benchmarking and public disclosures of energy use in commercial buildings.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s senior policy advisor Lowell Ungar praised the House’s work on passing the bill, while calling on the Senate to pass the a bi-partisan energy efficiency bill sponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Rob Portman. It has similar provisions to those found in the HR 2126.

“These provisions are designed to address some key barriers of lack of information and perverse incentives that prevent building owners from implementing cost-effective energy efficiency measures,” Ungar says. “We hope the Senate takes up that bill without delay, so that Americans can start reaping more of the utility bill savings, jobs, cleaner air and more secure energy that energy efficiency can provide.”