In August, the president signed into law the Energy Policy Act of 2005, a $12.3-billion energy bill. He explained that the multi-faceted legislation that he described as an economic bill "sets higher efficiency standards for federal buildings and for household products." He continued, adding that "it authorizes new funding for research into cutting-edge technologies that will help us do more with less energy."

And in September Bush instructed agencies to use more products rated by Energy Star, a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Among issues visited in the letter, RER called on the Administration to include more building types covered under the Energy Star program, which presently excludes shopping centers and multifamily properties.

RER also pointed out that residential and commercial buildings consume one-third of the country's energy, which represents a stark improvement over the last 30 years. Residential energy consumption, RER noted, has dropped 37% since the mid-1970s, and commercial consumption has waned by 25%. "These improvements were achieved despite a sharp--50%--increase in average new home size during that period and a dramatic increase in energy-dependent technology in buildings, including greatly increased plug loads from increasing numbers of home appliances and office equipment," RER chairman Robert J. Lowe writes to Bush. "Our successes were realized without any federal regulation of the construction or operation of buildings."