Developed by the U.S. EPA and Dept. of Energy, ENERGY STAR is a widely recognized benchmarking system for commercial buildings. Achieving the designation signifies that a building’s annual energy performance is within the top 25% of similar facilities, earning at least 75 points on a scale of 1-100.
Points are awarded based on the information about a building, such as its size, location, number of occupants, and energy usage. Increasing the annual ENERGY STAR score signifies performance improvements that result in cost savings.
On average, ENERGY STAR buildings are one-third more energy efficient than peers. Lower operating expenses attract tenants and increase building values. Further, data also suggests that ENERGY STAR buildings lease and sell faster.
ENERGY STAR is a natural complement to other energy and sustainability initiatives. Energy audits identify improvements that raise the building’s overall ENERGY STAR score, and ENERGY STAR is also a recommended prerequisite for LEED Existing Buildings.
To learn how to increase your ENERGY STAR score and earn the designation, please contact us.