After analyzing the energy use data of 59 federal buildings in states that were hardest hit by cold weather in the winter of 2014, the US General Services Administration found that these buildings, all of which received American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)-funded upgrades, used an average of 5.5 percent less energy compared to the winter before the projects began.
In addition, a third of these buildings showed double-digit energy savings.
The definition of “harsh winter” from November 2013 to March 2014 applied to the District of Columbia and cities in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York and Pennsylvania.
Of the 59 buildings analyzed, 20 reduced their winter energy usage intensity by 10 percent or more between FY 2008 and FY 2014.