This training presents analysis techniques to assist with fair and reasonable price determinations in federal energy performance contracts (EPCs). It reflects the experiences, lessons learned, and best practices of agencies using the Department of Energy (DOE) ESPC indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts and federal UESC projects, as documented by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). The responsibility to ensure that the government pays fair and reasonable prices for the goods and services it buys is critical in EPCs, where the procurement is usually financed over time. There are several elements that require review in determining price reasonableness, which will be covered during the training.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

• Understand the unique pricing considerations for energy performance contracts to ensure reasonableness
• Identify Federal Acquisition Regulation techniques applicable to evaluating pricing in energy performance contracts
• Describe the energy performance contracting elements and how to evaluate proposed pricing
• Apply best practices for reviewing and documenting price analysis in energy performance contracts

This training will include classroom modules as well as hands-on, experiential learning on how to identify and correct building performance issues.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

• Describe the purpose and key steps of the FEMP Treasure Hunt process.
• Recognize basic methods for collecting energy and water data.
• Identify common physical diagnostic tools and explain their basic purpose in assessing energy and water use.
• Identify calculation tools and simple ROI concepts used to evaluate conservation opportunities.
• Discuss examples of energy and water savings opportunities identified during the walkthroughs.
• Summarize how lessons learned from the training can be used to begin exploring opportunities at their own facilities.

This training will include classroom modules as well as hands-on, experiential learning on how to identify and correct building performance issues.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

• Describe the purpose and key steps of the FEMP Treasure Hunt process.
• Recognize basic methods for collecting energy and water data.
• Identify common physical diagnostic tools and explain their basic purpose in assessing energy and water use.
• Identify calculation tools and simple ROI concepts used to evaluate conservation opportunities.
• Discuss examples of energy and water savings opportunities identified during the walkthroughs.
• Summarize how lessons learned from the training can be used to begin exploring opportunities at their own facilities.

This training will introduce the audience to the Building Re-Tuning Simulator (BRS), which is a free, easy to use, online tool that helps identify low-cost and no-cost re-tuning measures. Re-tuning relies on building automation system data to identify and implement control measures that ultimately improve the building’s energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, and improve occupant comfort. The attendees will learn how to access the BRS tool, develop a building model, and use the re-tuning dashboard to identify energy conservation measures and calculate savings. The tool is available at https://retuning-simulator.pnnl.gov/.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

• Recognize what re-tuning is
• Understand the four basic principles of re-tuning
• Understand how to screen buildings in their portfolio for re-tuning
• Recognize the benefits of using the BRS to save energy and cost

Federal facility energy managers oversee infrastructure where reliable electricity is essential but not guaranteed. Power outages can occur for many overlapping reasons—such as extreme weather, cyber threats, utility performance, or broader grid vulnerabilities. These disruptions vary widely by location, both in how often they happen and how severely they affect operations. Improving energy resilience at critical facilities can help ensure continued operations during grid disruptions, reduce the impacts of power outages, and strengthen facility preparedness against future threats. This training webinar will guide federal facility energy managers through key concepts to better understand and plan for power outages at their facilities. It introduces the principles of grid reliability and resilience, explains how to assess outage risks using local and historical data, and provides guidance on evaluating the strengths and limitations of their utility provider. Participants will also learn how to engage utilities with targeted questions about grid configuration, performance, and restoration, and how to use data sources and tools to support informed, location-specific resilience planning and investment decisions.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

• Define the concepts of reliability and resilience in the context of electric power systems
• Identify and list outage hazards and risks specific to their facilities and distinguish which risks can be measured
• Evaluate the capabilities and limitations of their utility provider based on the maturity of their utility’s management systems
• Develop targeted questions to ask utilities about grid configuration, performance, restoration, and resilience planning - Locate and apply data sources and tools to support localized power outage preparedness and planning

This webinar will provide hands-on examples of evaluating potential cost savings from alternative utility rates and net metering policies using NREL’s publicly available REopt® web tool. As utility rates and net metering policies become increasingly complex, it is important for federal agencies to understand these rates and programs to better assess options for reducing costs through rate switching, energy efficiency, and distributed energy investments. REopt offers a user-friendly, streamlined approach to facilitate this type of analysis. In this training, participants will learn how to glean key information from utility bills, examine alternative utility rate options, understand their net metering policies, and model these policies in the REopt web tool.

In U.S. states with retail choice electricity markets—also known as competitive supply—federal facilities can choose between two primary electricity and natural gas procurement options: staying with the default supply tariff from their local utility or contracting with a licensed third-party supplier. This training webinar will guide federal energy and procurement professionals through the key concepts, benefits, and considerations to help identify the most cost-effective options. Participants will gain practical knowledge to evaluate their site’s supply choices, understand market dynamics, and make informed decisions to reduce costs and manage price risk. The session will also highlight how to leverage procurement support from the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to streamline the contracting process and simplify access to competitively priced energy supply contracts.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, attendees will be able to:

• Identify where retail choice electricity and natural gas procurement options are available from third-party suppliers.
• Understand the common types of retail choice supply contracts and how rates differ from those in vertically integrated (regulated) markets.
• Become familiar with how retail choice supply contracts are structured and the process used by GSA and DLA Energy to establish contracts for federal facilities.
• Learn how to assess and manage risks associated with third-party supply contracts.
• Engage with GSA and DLA Energy to stay abreast of changes in retail choice markets and participate in Requests for Information (RFIs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) as new contracts become available.

The Utility Open Houses for Federal Customers initiative serves as a platform for facilitating connections and informed discussions between federal agencies and utility providers, as well as raising awareness and educating federal agencies about utility programs to advance key federal energy objectives. By working with utilities, federal agencies can access cost-effective energy solutions, optimize operations, and strengthen energy infrastructure. These partnerships help agencies navigate the evolving energy landscape while maximizing savings and operational reliability.

Interested in attending in-person? Please email Andrew Grejda to inquire about the in-person event.

Sponsored by

Learning Objectives

Utility Open Houses are events co-hosted by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) and utilities that provide federal agencies with insights into utility offerings and incentive programs, focusing on key pathways to achieving federal energy goals, including:

• Lowering Energy Costs Through Utility Programs: Learn how to take advantage of programs designed to reduce costs and optimize energy consumption, including demand response, time-variable pricing, energy incentives, and technology rebates. 
• Optimizing Energy Procurement and Utility Rates: Evaluate utility rate options and tariff structures to identify cost savings opportunities and explore off-site energy procurement options that can improve energy reliability and price stability. 
• Improving Energy Efficiency with Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESC): Discover how UESC programs enable agencies to finance and implement energy conservation measures that drive long-term operational savings. 
• Enhancing Resilience: Explore programs designed to enhance energy security, harden infrastructure, and ensure continuity of operations. 
• Streamlining Utility Procurement with GSA Areawide Contract (AWC) Services: Understand how AWCs simplify access to energy management services, UESCs, and other utility programs.

Wind is the single biggest force placed on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. While industry structural engineers work to establish minimum design and safety standards, agencies need to understand how to achieve durable systems that can reliably operate for 30 or even 50 years. Wind smart PV systems not only prevent unnecessary loss during windstorms, but also cost less to maintain, improve safety, and provide a resilient source of power and cost savings to agencies. Wind smart PV systems deliver resilience and support agency missions at a lower levelized cost of energy.

Learning Objective

Upon completion of this training, attendees will be able to:

• Learn how to procure a wind smart PV system that is resilient, high performing, and safe to host on site.
• Understand industry-recommended good practices to obtain wind smart solar PV systems.
• Understand the frequency and severity of wind events for a specific site.
• Explore how wind acts upon solar PV systems and the resulting impacts.
• Understand the different wind dynamics between ground, roof, and parking canopies.
• Understand when a wind event is severe enough to be considered a force majeure where resulting damage should be considered a normal outcome.

Accurate and high-quality data is essential for effective fleet management, cost reduction, efficiency improvements, and streamlined reporting. In this workshop, participants will learn to identify common data issues within FAST and explore practical solutions. Attendees will rotate through different breakout rooms, each focused on a key data challenge, engaging in problem-solving discussions and best practices to enhance fleet data automation and reporting.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, attendees will be able to:

• Learn about best practices to streamline and improve data quality in FAST reporting
• Identify common issues within FAST
• Learn about tools and resources to help check FAST data and flag errors efficiently