APGA’s members are focused on providing efficient, reliable, and affordable energy, so it is important that community-owned utility infrastructure, both the pipes and the people, continues to be leveraged to deliver energy to America's buildings. This week was High Performance Buildings Week, so APGA staff participated in a few ways, ensuring the conversation included how valuable community-owned utilities are.
First, APGA discussed High Performance Buildings Week on social media. Be sure to check out posts on LinkedIn.
Then, on Wednesday, the High Performance Building Coalition (HPBC) hosted a panel discussion, as a part of High Performance Buildings Week. The panel was held in the Rayburn House Office Building, so policymakers from Capitol Hill, as well as the Administration were able to attend. Heat resilience was the timely topic of conversation. Summer is beginning, and temperatures are rising. Buildings should be sustainable and energy efficient, while also ensuring the safety of residents and inhabitants of the buildings, which means there must be a reliable energy supply.
APGA staff attended the panel that included participants from the International Code Council (ICC), Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Green Building Initiative (GBI), and the House of Representatives. They discussed the important role the development of standards, codes, and guidelines plays in addressing such concerns including extreme heat and other extreme weather events. Public gas systems are impacted by many of the issues addressed in the discussion, given their vital role in ensuring reliable energy is delivered, especially during extreme weather events. APGA’s members do have a good record. On average, only 1 in 800 gas customers experience an unplanned outage in any given year. In comparison, electric system customers experience an average of one unplanned outage per year per customer.
APGA is grateful for the opportunity to participate in efforts like these, and APGA staff will continue to advocate for the priorities of the members in these events. Find out more about the HPBC here.
For questions on this article, please contact Sydney Novoa of APGA by phone at 202-464-0834 or email at snovoa@apga.org.