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G3. Big Green
Building on a Continent of Birds: CAF’s Northern Regional Hub and Bird-Friendly Architecture
Five Migratory Birds That Depend on Built-Up Areas
Building Better Habitat, One Songbird at a Time
Every Day is Earth Day
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Center for Birds of Prey Launches Haiku Contest for In-Person Storywalk
The Unexpected Wealth of Serpentine Habitats
Groups call on The Home Depot to phase out PVC plastics ahead of shareholder meeting
Frontline leaders from across the country are calling on The Home Depot to lead the industry away from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, highlighted in a new “photo quilt” unveiled by Toxic-Free Future and partners nationwide.
The post Groups call on The Home Depot to phase out PVC plastics ahead of shareholder meeting appeared first on Toxic-Free Future.
Ecological Drought in the Colorado River Basin: Seeing the Full Picture
A Handsome Woodpecker Named for its Dashing Plumage
Governor Braun Goes Birding with Audubon Great Lakes at Site of Major Wetlands Restoration in Linton, Indiana
Audubon Alaska Launches Anchorage Birding Trail
Introducing the Anchorage Birding Trail
Sweet on Habitat: First Wisconsin Maple Producer Recognized Through Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Maple Program
Hidden Gems Along the Anchorage Birding Trail
Planting Native Trees in the Colorado River Delta Is Bringing Breeding Birds Back
We delivered 27k comments calling on the EPA to protect our air from “chemical recycling”
Audubon Center at Riverlands: A Hemispheric Crossroads for Bird Migration and Bottomland Forest Conservation
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Modern Metering: Giving Federal Energy Managers the Tools They Need
By: Joe Robinson, Alliance to Save Energy and Joe Fernardi, Seattle City Light
The federal government operates more than 350,000 buildings—many still equipped with analog meters that provide little visibility into how, when, or why energy is used. In an era of rising costs and increasing grid stress, federal facility managers need modern tools. Smart metering, interval data, and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) give agencies the information required to identify waste, improve comfort, and support mission readiness. For ASE, this is foundational: you cannot manage what you cannot measure.
Modern Meters = Modern Management
Analog meters capture a single monthly number. That’s it. No time-of-day insights, no load shape, no actionable data.
Smart meters change everything:
- 15-minute or hourly interval data
- Automated alerts to anomalous energy spikes
- Integration with building automation and VPP-ready controls
- Portfolio-level dashboards
This turns energy management from reactive to strategic.
The Power of Analytics in Real Facilities
Interval data routinely reveals issues analog meters hide:
- After-hours HVAC operation
- Malfunctioning dampers or valves
- Simultaneous heating and cooling
- Equipment not matching occupancy patterns
A GSA building in Denver discovered a stuck cooling valve wasting $18,000 per year—identified solely through AMI data.
The Cost Case: Big Savings for a Small Upgrade
DOE’s AMI National Impacts Report finds modern metering can cut energy use up to 12% in large federal facilities. Typical outcomes include:
- $20,000–$60,000 annual savings
- Reduced manual meter reading labor
- Faster maintenance and operational insight
Many systems pay back in 1–3 years.
Federal Buildings Already Using AMI for Flexibility
Federal Buildings Already Using AMI
- A federal complex in New Mexico uses smart meters to trigger automated HVAC curtailment during grid alerts.
- A DOE campus in Idaho uses interval data to pre-cool ahead of wildfire-driven grid constraints—operating as a VPP-supportive asset.
- A courthouse in Washington partnered with Seattle City Light to use interval data for measurement & verification (M&V) on a chiller plant improvement, successfully leveraging a performance-based incentive from the utility.
This is what modern federal operations look like: smarter, cleaner, more reliable.
Why This Matters for Energy Efficiency—and ASE’s Work
Modern metering is central to active efficiency. ASE champions accessible, data-driven solutions that reduce waste, strengthen reliability, and support federal mission performance.
Want to help expand AMI across federal buildings? Email jrobinson@ase.org with “Interested in IPC.”
A Practical Policy Step: Require AMI at Major Federal Facilities
Congress and agencies should require:
- AMI and interval data at major federal buildings
- Integration into automation and flexibility platforms
- Public-private innovation through ESPCs and UESCs
Smart Data = Smart Decisions
With modern meters, facilities gain visibility to cut waste, improve comfort, and support grid reliability—while demonstrating public-sector leadership.
Resources & Further Reading
-
U.S. Department of Energy: Advanced Metering Infrastructure National Impacts Report (Quantifying the National Impacts of AMI)
https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/AMI_National_Impacts_Report.pdf -
U.S. Energy Information Administration: Electric Power Annual — Metering Data by Customer Class
https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/html/epa_08_01.html -
U.S. General Services Administration: Sustainability and Energy Management Dashboard
https://www.gsa.gov/sustainability -
Alliance to Save Energy: Active Efficiency Initiative
https://www.ase.org/active-efficiency -
Alliance to Save Energy: Advancing Virtual Power Plants to Scale: Policy, Market Trends, and Deployment Pathways (2025)
https://www.ase.org/resources/advancing-virtual-power-plants-scale-policy-market-trends-and-deployment-pathways
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