The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO®) was excited to again promote and participate in the events surrounding national High-Performance Building Week in our nation’s capital. Organized by a coalition of building industry stakeholders that support the High-Performance Building Coalition (HPBC), the annual event seeks to inform and stimulate discussion about the benefits — water/energy conservation, improved safety/environmental quality — derived from high-performance buildings and practices.
 
The theme of this year’s event was “Challenges and Solutions for Improving Resiliency, Workforce Development, Energy and Water Efficiency.”
 
The HPBC is a private sector coalition providing guidance and support to the High-Performance Buildings Caucus of the U.S. Congress. Dain Hansen, IAPMO’s Senior Vice President of Government Relations, is Chairman of the Coalition.
 
“With the tremendous work of the HPBC, this year’s High-Performance Building Week will be the best yet,” Hansen said prior to the event. “The events highlighted this week will provide a great opportunity to learn of the many initiatives being supported by the industry. The Coalition has already achieved great success on many of our policy priorities, and we look forward to our continued work with the High-Performance Building Caucus, led by the co-chairs Reps. David McKinley (R-WV) and Peter Welch (D-VT) to help each facet of the building industry through sound policy.”
 
The IAPMO Group participated in the following events:

• Congressional Briefing: Federal Engagement in Efficiency Standards
• Congressional Briefing: OMB A-119 The U.S. Government’s Standards Policy: A Prime Example of Congress and the Executive Branch Working Together
• Congressional Reception
• Congressional Briefing: Meeting State and Local Demand for High Performance Green Residential and Commercial Buildings
• Achieving a High-Performance Built Environment: Findings and Recommendations from the Consultative Council
  

Rep. Welch said: “As the co-chair of the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus, I’m pleased to once again take part in High Performance Building Week. As in years past, this week is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the major impact buildings have on public health, safety, and the environment and to discuss the challenges and opportunities we face in improving building performance. I thank my Caucus Co-Chair, Rep. McKinley, for his work on these issues and look forward to learning more over the course of the week.”

Rep. McKinley said: “As one of only three licensed engineers in Congress, I understand the importance of advancing innovative building technologies and energy efficiency to help produce an ‘internet of things,’ smart buildings, and power grids. High Performance Building Week is a unique opportunity to bring building professionals together to address these challenges, share ideas, and offer solutions.”

The High-Performance Buildings Caucus of the U.S. Congress was formed to heighten awareness and inform policymakers about the major impact buildings have on our health, safety and welfare and the opportunities to design, construct and operate high-performance buildings that reflect our concern for these impacts. Fundamental to these concerns include protecting life and property, developing novel building technologies, facilitating and enhancing U.S. economic competitiveness, increasing energy efficiency in the built-environment, assuring buildings have minimal climate change impacts and are able to respond to changes in the environment, and supporting the development of private sector standards, codes and guidelines that address these concerns.

A full list of events for High-Performance Building Week 2016 can be found at: http://hpbccc.squarespace.com/events/.