U.S. General Services Administration
PRESS RELEASE: GSA Announces New Actions to Cut Emissions and Lower Energy Costs for Federal Buildings
For Immediate Release
December 19, 2022
Contact: Rich Stebbins
richard.stebbins@gsa.gov
GSA Announces New Actions to Cut Emissions and Lower Energy Costs for Federal Buildings
Denver Federal Center building will be designed and operated to achieve net-zero carbon emissions
DENVER — A new Federal Building Performance Standard will require each agency to electrify 30 percent of their existing buildings by square footage through energy efficient, cost-effective upgrades to equipment and appliances. As part of this standard, the United States General Services Administration (GSA) will complete the modernization of the Denver Federal Center Building 48 to convert an existing vacant warehouse into an efficient, all-electric 150,000-square foot office space for the Department of the Interior. Modernizing this existing building will not only minimize embodied carbon emissions, it will be designed and operated to achieve net-zero carbon emissions as well. Construction is expected to be complete in 2023.
“We are taking a vacant, underperforming building and transforming it into an adaptive, modern, energy efficient space to support the mission and business needs of the Interior Business Center,” said Public Buildings Service Regional Commissioner Tanisha Palermo. “The intent with our design is to transform this 1940’s warehouse into a state-of-the-art office space that celebrates the mission of IBC while not impacting the environment.”
The GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan issued the following statement regarding the Biden-Harris Administration’s new electrification standard for the country’s 300,000 existing federal buildings.
“The new standard advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s leadership in making the federal government a model for decarbonization and clean energy innovation,” said GSA Administrator Carnahan. “GSA is excited to help lead the way toward a net-zero federal footprint that will save money for taxpayers, reduce harmful emissions, and help spur demand for next-generation clean energy technologies.”
GSA’s efforts to decarbonize federal buildings was aided as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) which was signed into law in August 2022.
Administrator Carnahan also recently committed to not use any funding from the IRA to install new fossil fuel-based equipment.
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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. The GSA’s Rocky Mountain Region provides products and services throughout Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. For more information, visit https://www.gsa.gov/r8 and follow us at Twitter.