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Earn ENERGY STAR certification

ENERGY STAR certified facilities outperform 75 percent of similar facilities across the country. On average, they consume 35 less energy and contribute 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than their peers.

If you’ve earned the ENERGY STAR for your facility, it’s time to spread the word! See below for tools from EPA to help you do just that.

Read instructions on how to apply your decal
Purchase plaques, decals, flags, and banners to promote your ENERGY STAR certified building or plant
ENERGY STAR certification mark
Logo use guidelines
Press release – sample for a certified building
Press release – sample for a certified facility

Ideas for promoting your ENERGY STAR certified facility

  • Display the ENERGY STAR decal or plaque in a prominent place at your facility — the entranceway or the main reception area are much better choices than the engineer’s office, storage room, or basement!
  • Issue a press release announcing that you’ve earned the prestigious ENERGY STAR and distribute it to local media (use the sample above).
  • Submit a profile of your facility for posting on EPA’s real-time registry of ENERGY STAR certified buildings. Profiles for buildings can be submitted through Portfolio Manager or submitted with your certification application.
  • Hold an organization-wide employee meeting or student assembly and present the ENERGY STAR to an official of your organization. Take photos for your newsletter, and also send a photo with caption to the local newspaper.
  • Hoist an ENERGY STAR flag or banner in a company common area.
  • Distribute certificates of recognition/ appreciation/ participation to organizations or individuals who contributed time and effort to earning the ENERGY STAR.
  • Create a custom QR code that links smartphone users to your ENERGY STAR certified facility profile page. Add the QR code to business cards, informational displays, or handouts.
  • Reserve a special parking space for your energy manager for a month in recognition of his/her achievement and publicize this among your employees.
  • Make plans to announce that your facility has earned the ENERGY STAR at a scheduled meeting where press typically will be in attendance. (For example, an announcement of a K-12 school earning the ENERGY STAR could take place at a District School Board meeting.)
  • Write a letter celebrating your achievement to your mayor, councilmember, Chamber of Commerce, Board of Education, governor, congressperson or senator, or other official representatives for your organization. Encourage them to challenge other organizations like yours to earn the ENERGY STAR.
  • Invite local government officials, regional EPA officials, and members of the press to tour your ENERGY STAR certified facility along with your top company or organization officials. If you’re part of an educational institution, ask faculty and students who have participated in energy-saving activities to demonstrate how they contributed to the effort.
  • Present a certificate of achievement to organizational officials.
  • Promote your achievement through your organization’s social media channels — post your announcement on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Host an ENERGY STAR event

One of the best ways to share your energy efficiency achievements is to host a recognition event with your employees and community. If you are a school, also invite students. Recognition events may include a special employee luncheon, an energy fair, or any other type of event that brings people together to learn about energy efficiency and ENERGY STAR. Use the steps below to create your event or modify the outline to suit your organization’s needs.

  • Select a date and time for the event that is convenient for employees, the media, and other guests you may wish to invite. 
  • Contact your local elected officials and regional EPA office to schedule their attendance. It’s especially important to include those who have helped support your organization’s efforts to earn the ENERGY STAR, and recognizable public figures will help bring media attention to the event. 
  • Develop an agenda with a timeframe of 15-30 minutes for the award presentation and speakers. You may have one or more speakers. For example:

- 10:45 a.m. – Invited guests, speakers, attendees arrive
- 11:00 a.m. – Welcome, opening remarks by organization representative or event coordinator
- 11:05 a.m. – First speaker – Local elected official
- 11:10 a.m. – Second speaker – Local leader/champion of the environment/student participants
- 11:15 a.m. – Third speaker – EPA representative or other official
- 11:20 a.m. – Presentation of ENERGY STAR to organization by EPA or other official
- 11:25 a.m. – Acceptance of the ENERGY STAR and remarks by organization leader or energy manager
- 11:30 a.m. – Event concludes

You may wish to assign one person to coordinate the event and speakers, designate a communications contact to work with members of the media before and during the event, and schedule a photographer or videographer to record the event. A small reception may be nice. Share your photos, articles, and materials with EPA’s ENERGY STAR program and your event may be posted on www.energystar.gov as an example for other organizations.

You can customize ENERGY STAR sample communications materials or develop your own to support the event. Possible materials include:

  • A press release or a press kit including the press release, information about your facility and organization, and facts about ENERGY STAR certified facilities.
  • Posters and/or banners to draw attention to the podium or stage.
  • Your ENERGY STAR facility profile—how you succeeded in making your facility a top energy performer nationwide. Make sure to provide copies to attendees and to the media.

The day after the event, deliver event photos with written captions to editors at local newspapers and business publications that were not represented at your event.