A bill introduced by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), would provide a legislative fix that has the support of a unique coalition that was organized by the Security Industry Association (SIA).

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 requires electronic devices to meet certain efficiency standards while in “no-load” mode. The requirements apply to security and life safety devices — such as video surveillance and access control systems — even though they are always in “active” mode. To correct this, SIA assembled a coalition that includes both industry and environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), to draft legislative language and advocate for a fix. Bingaman included the measure in Section 4 of the “National Energy Efficiency Enhancement Act of 2010” (S. 3059), which would make technical corrections to EISA. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the committee’s ranking Republican, and Senator Bob Menendez, (D-NJ), co-sponsored the bill.

“This technical amendment from Chairman Bingaman and Senators Murkowski and Menendez strikes the right balance for all interested parties,” said Mark Visbal, SIA director of research and technology.

The measure would retain EISA’s “active” mode efficiency standards for security and life safety products.

In addition to SIA and the NRDC, the provision is supported by the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project and the Electronic Security Association.