The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) listens to suppliers. Why? Because doing so has led to 50% to 300% improvements and solutions in energy that didn’t increase costs.
“We rely on the vast resources of American industry,” explains Kevin Kampschroer, GSA chief sustainability officer and director of the GSA's Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings.
Relying on those resources has created new products and changed the way that buildings are performing. Through one of GSA’s programs, Green Proving Ground, the agency has been able to create and test new products that have driven to that 300% improvement number. Kampschroer notes that one of the first products the GSA tested were power cords with occupancy sensors that resulted in a large amount of energy savings. It also tested and proved that low-flow toilets not only worked, but also saved money and energy. Now, low-flow toilets are its standard specification.
Kampschroer further outlines the GSA programs in this video.