2022 NDAA enhances climate resilience, energy efficiency

On Dec. 30, 2021, United States President Joe Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2022 (PL 117–81), which had previously cleared the U.S. House of Representatives (363–70) and U.S. Senate (88–11). The fiscal year 2022 NDAA incorporates broad efforts to increase climate resiliency and energy efficiency for facilities across the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) portfolio and provides updates to the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) and the DOD building code, which is based on the International Codes.

The fiscal year 2022 NDAA requires consideration of impacts of the resilience of military installations in national defense strategy documents. Through the creation of the “Climate Resilience Infrastructure Initiative of the Department of Defense” the DOD must consider climate challenges and climate resilience in key defense efforts. As a result, the DOD will set energy, water and waste net-zero requirements with the goal of ensuring that at least 10 percent of installations achieve net-zero by fiscal year 2035. Additionally, through a pilot program to evaluate the increased use of sustainable building materials in military construction, each military department will carry out at least one construction project to assess materials that will reduce carbon emissions over the life cycle of the building. The projects will range in scope and location in the continental U.S. and will consider areas vulnerable to extreme weather and military housing.

The fiscal year 2022 NDAA also proposes several amendments to the UFC. The bill directs DOD to implement the latest codes and standards for energy efficiency and conservation, including the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019. In July 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a final determination of the 2021 IECC that showed a 9.4-percent energy savings improvement and an 8.7-percent reduction in carbon emissions for residential buildings relative to the 2018 IECC. The DOD will conduct an annual review to ensure that military installations’ energy efficiency and conservation remain up to date with the latest consensus-based energy codes and standards.

Additional UFC amendments will require military designs to include (1) lactation rooms in buildings likely to be frequented by nursing mothers, (2) the consideration, feasibility and cost-effectiveness of installing microgrids as a part of military construction projects, and where cost-effective, (3) the incorporation of electric vehicle charging stations at military installations in the U.S.