How is ENERGY STAR® Useful for Governments?
By utilizing ENERGY STAR tools and resources, governments can significantly lower energy costs, thus freeing up resources that can be reinvested back in the local community. Numerous policies and voluntary programs are emerging across the country that leverage ENERGY STAR. For instance, energy disclosure laws that mandate energy benchmarking for commercial buildings often require governments to track energy usage first, before the law expands to cover other commercial buildings. The ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool is an easy to use, comprehensive tool that is used to assess compliance with most existing mandates. Another example of ENERGY STAR tools and resources helping governments is the City Energy Project, a voluntary initiative with a focus on improving the energy efficiency of buildings in cities across the U.S.
ENERGY STAR certified buildings save energy, save money, and help protect the environment by generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions than typical buildings. To be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification, a building must earn an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher, indicating that it performs better than at least 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide.
A design project that achieves Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR recognition meets strict EPA criteria for estimated energy performance. The recognition signifies that, once built, the building is poised to achieve top energy performance—and be eligible to earn ENERGY STAR certification. Follow EPA’s step-by-step guidance to ensure your building is designed, constructed, and operated to be a top energy performer.
EPA’s ENERGY STAR National Building Competition provides an annual national platform for industry leaders to save energy, water, and money, and fight climate change. In this sixth year of the competition, more than 6,500 buildings and 125 teams committed to battle the scale and each other as they compete to slim their energy and water “wastelines.”
Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) honor organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency through the ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year (POY) Awards. Award winners are recognized at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Guidelines for Energy Management
EPA has consolidated best practices from thousands of businesses and organizations that have worked with EPA’s ENERGY STAR program into one step-by-step road map for continuous improvement. These guidelines can help you improve energy and financial performance while distinguishing your organization as an environmental leader.
Energy Program Assessment Matrix
Use this spreadsheet to compare your energy management practices to the best practices outlined in EPA’s ENERGY STAR Guidelines for Energy Management. The matrix walks you through each recommended guideline so you can establish and implement an effective energy management program across your organization. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is an online tool you can use to measure and track energy and water consumption, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Use it to benchmark the performance of one building or a whole portfolio of buildings, all in a secure online environment. Target Finder is EPA’s online calculator that helps architects, engineers, and property owners and managers assess the energy performance of commercial building designs and existing buildings. Use Target Finder to see what annual energy usage you need to achieve to meet a target, and to evaluate estimated energy use.
EPA makes it easy for you to create and execute a strategic communications campaign around your ENERGY STAR partnership. This web page provides resources for every step of the way, outlining how to develop a strategic communications plan, inspire support of your energy efficiency programs within your organization, and promote your energy efficiency successes. Order publications free of charge through the ENERGY STAR website.
Register for no-cost, web-based presentations and learn more about how ENERGY STAR can help you realize your energy performance goals. From the ins and outs of ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager to guidance on improving the energy performance of your buildings and plants, EPA offers training on a range of energy efficiency topics. Personalized training options, onsite workshops, and training sessions tailored for governments are also available.
Strategies and Incentives to Finance Energy Efficiency Projects
This web page provides the tools and information to persuade decision makers that energy efficiency upgrades can pay for themselves and should be implemented as soon as possible. Use the “Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator” to translate energy savings into “financial speak.” The “Innovative Financing Solutions: Finding Money for Your Energy Efficiency Projects” paper defines some standard financial terms, presents financing options, and lets you calculate a “cost of delay.” The “Directory of Energy Efficiency Programs” helps you find sponsors of energy efficiency programs in your area.
Most Active Service and Product Providers
ENERGY STAR Service and Product Providers (SPPs) have demonstrated their expertise and achievements by meeting strict ENERGY STAR program requirements for benchmarking customer buildings using Portfolio Manager and gaining ENERGY STAR certification for buildings. Use this directory to find SPPs that have done the most for their clients through ENERGY STAR in the past 12 months.
State and Local Government Resources
EPA offers off-the-shelf resources that are ready to be tailored to meet the energy and financial performance goals of state and local governments. This web page provides resources that outline how state and local governments can leverage the ENERGY STAR platform in their programs and policies to transform the market for energy efficiency.
List of Legislation and Campaigns Leveraging ENERGY STAR
Federal agencies and state and local governments across the country are taking important steps to protect the environment and lower energy costs by adopting policies that leverage EPA’s ENERGY STAR tools to reduce energy use in commercial buildings, through both required policy measures and voluntary campaigns. This document provides a summary of federal, state, and local efforts that refer to List of Legislation and Campaigns Leveraging ENERGY STAR ENERGY STAR tools.
Energy Efficiency Competition Guide
A competition can inspire participants to reduce their operating costs and their environmental footprint by challenging them to improve their facilities’ energy efficiency. Use this 18-page guide to plan and lead an energy efficiency competition of your own. This step-by-step workbook walks you through every detail and decision to help you create a competition that is right for you, your organization, and your community.
ENERGY STAR certified new homes are designed and built to standards well above most other homes on the market, delivering energy efficiency savings of up to 30 percent when compared to typical new homes. Utilize this web page to learn more about the benefits and features of ENERGY STAR certified new homes. Use this personalized tool for saving energy with ENERGY STAR and see how your simple actions can make a big difference. This interactive program outlines easy walk-throughs of different ways to save organized by scale, project type, and room. Save and monitor your progress as you transform your home into a more energy efficient environment.
ENERGY STAR products are independently certified to save energy without sacrificing features or functionality. Use the ENERGY STAR purchasing tools to find products in more than 50 categories that save you money on energy bills and help protect our environment.
Earn Recognition through ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR Certification
Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR
EPA’s National Building Competition
ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award
ENERGY STAR Tools and Resources
Energy Management
Communications
Training
Financing
Service and Product Providers
Government Programs & Policies
Residential
Products