Gordon Includes Energy Efficiency Provision In Defense Bill

Gordon Includes Energy Efficiency Provision In Defense Bill

January 3, 2006, WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon has included a provision in federal legislation that will require the Department of Defense to study the benefits of using clean, energy-saving geothermal heat pump systems in its facilities.

"Increasing our energy efficiency and producing more energy domestically will make our nation less dependent on foreign energy," said Gordon, dean of Tennessee's congressional delegation.

"The Environmental Protection Agency has identified geothermal heat pumps as the most energy efficient and environmentally clean heating and cooling systems available. The Department of Defense could be well served by this technology."

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate recently approved the measure as part of an appropriations bill for the Department of Defense. The president signed the bill into law on December 30, 2005.

Geothermal heat pumps, also called ground source heat pumps, use the ground or ground water as a thermal energy source to heat or cool a building. The systems reduce consumption by 60 to 70 percent over traditional electric heating and air conditioning. They are almost 50 percent more efficient than gas furnaces and more than 75 percent more efficient than oil furnaces.

The legislation directs the Department of Defense to determine the feasibility of using heat pumps in new and existing defense facilities and to assess the cost effectiveness of using ground source heat pumps in different regions of the U.S.

"By encouraging wider use of geothermal heat pumps, we can become more energy-independent, reduce our consumption of electricity and help to ensure cleaner air," said Gordon.

The 900,000 geothermal heat pumps in use today save 36 trillion BTUs of fossil fuels annually, the equivalent of removing 1.1 million cars from the road or planting more than 346 million trees.

Geothermal heat pumps cost more to install than traditional energy systems but yield incredible long-term savings. Many school systems have opted to invest in geothermal systems to reap savings in energy bills for years to come.

In July, Gordon and U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper introduced legislation that would create tax incentives for businesses that opted to use geothermal energy.

In addition, Gordon recently introduced a package of legislation that would require the federal government to better monitor energy consumption in federal buildings, potentially saving taxpayers money by reducing waste.

"The government should be a leader in energy-efficiency," said Gordon. "Although energy consumption in government buildings has dropped by almost 25 percent since 1985, approximately $1 billion in taxpayer dollars is still wasted each year."

http://www.house.gov/gordon/newsroom/press_060103_geothermalapprops.shtml