B & P - All News - 2011

The Governments of United States and Canada Harmonize Approach to Save Energy in Commercial Buildings

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) have signed an agreement that will create a common platform for measuring and assessing the energy performance of commercial buildings in both countries. The agreement will harmonize the approach of the two countries by enhancing EPA’s existing Energy Star Portfolio Manager software tool to track and rate the energy performance of Canadian commercial buildings, in addition to buildings in the United States.

EPA Press Release

NRCan Press Release

EPA Updates Energy Star Tool to Support Greater Energy Efficiency in Hospitals

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Today, EPA released an important update to ENERGY STAR's national energy performance scale methodology for hospitals. The updated performance scale will help hospitals better assess their energy performance and make more informed financial and investment decisions in order to cut costs and improve their energy efficiency.

Updated ENERGY STAR Scale for Hospitals

ENERGY STAR and the healthcare industry

EPA Press Relesase

EPA's Portfolio Manager tool is being upgraded.

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Visit our new project page to see a project timeline, download a fact sheet, or register for our next quarterly update webinar.

Portfolio Manager Improvements Effective November 7, 2011

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

EPA Announces Winner of the 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Today EPA announced that the University of Central Florida (UCF) is the winner of EPA’s 2011 Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings. In its second year, the competition featured teams from 245 buildings across the country in a head-to-head battle to save energy, reduce costs, and protect people's health and the environment. UCF’s winning building was a parking garage on the university’s main campus where energy use was decreased by 63.2 percent. Together, competitors cut their energy costs by $5.2 million.

More information on the 2011 Energy Star National Building Competition

EPA Press Release

ENERGY STAR Newsletters

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Small Business Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

EPA Announces Top Contenders in ENERGY STAR National Building Competition

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In the first six months of the competition, participants saved more than $3.7 million on utility bills

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program has announced the Top Contenders at the midpoint of the 2011 National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings. The list of Top Contenders identifies the leaders with the greatest percent reduction of energy use in each of the twelve building categories in the competition. EPA also provided an update on the progress of all participants as they continue to go head-to-head to save energy, reduce costs and protect Americans’ health and their environment. More

EPA Press Release

City of Houston Wins Mayors' Climate Protection Award

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Initiative Incorporates ENERGY STAR Tools and Resources

City of Houston’s Mayor has received the 2011 U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Award.the city's work in implementing the Houston Green Office Challenge, which relies heavily on ENERGY STAR tools and resources. Participants measure and track their building’s monthly energy use with EPA’s online tool, Portfolio Manager and participate in monthly EPA training sessions on improving energy performance in buildings. More than 330 organizations participate in the Challenge, including city-owned buildings.

EPA Press Release

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Energy Efficiency Program Sponsor Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Retail Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Service & Product Provider Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Commercial Real Estate Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Public Sector Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Multifamily Housing Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Industrial Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Hospitality Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Healthcare Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Entertainment Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Congregations Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

ENERGY STAR NEWS: Automated Benchmarking Edition

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

EPA Awards ENERGY STAR Certification to First Cookie and Cracker Bakeries

Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is recognizing the first cookie and cracker bakeries to earn ENERGY STAR certification. The first thirteen ENERGY STAR certified bakeries are owned by Lance Private Brands, Richmond Baking of Indiana, Oak State Products, Bremner Food Group, and the Kellogg Company. Compared to average plants, these thirteen ENERGY STAR certified bakeries save 4.3 trillion Btus of energy, avoid nearly $24 million in utility bills, and prevent more than 85,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, equivalent to the emissions from more than 16,000 cars. Plants verified to be in the top twenty-five percent of performance nationwide may be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification.

· More information about ENERGY STAR Cookie and Cracker Energy Performance Indicators

· Find ENERGY STAR certified manufacturing plants across the U.S.

EPA Awards ENERGY STAR Certification to First Container Glass Plants

Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is recognizing the first container glass plants to earn ENERGY STAR certification. The first ENERGY STAR certified container glass plants include three Verallia North America plnats, owner by Saint-Gobain, located in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Massachusetts. Compared to average container glass plants, these ENERGY STAR certified container glass plants annually save 1.3 million Btus of energy, avoid about $7.5 million in energy bills, and prevent the emission of nearly 61,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, equal to the emissions from the electricity use of more than 7,000 homes for one year. Plants verified to be in the top twenty-five percent of performance nationwide may be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification.

· More information about ENERGY STAR Glass Energy Performance Indicators

· Find ENERGY STAR manufacturing plants across the U.S.

ENERGY STAR Program Helps Cement Industry Improve Energy Efficiency, Shift Performance Curve

Wed, 25 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

A new report by researchers at Duke University affirms that the ENERGY STAR program has helped improve the energy efficiency of the cement manufacturing industry, which has cut its energy intensity by 13 percent over a decade. This improvement is equivalent to a total source energy use reduction of over 60 trillion Btu and an annual emissions reduction of almost 1.5 million metric tons of energy-related carbon, according to the report. Cement manufacturing is very energy intensive, and the improvements represent a substantial shift in the industry’s energy efficiency curve.

The report, Measuring Improvement in the Energy Performance of the U.S. Cement Industry, validates EPA’s energy management strategy, particularly the importance of performance measurement and recognition for top performance. The report also demonstrates that the gap between top performing cement manufacturing plants and others has closed and the performance of the industry as a whole has improved.

· EPA statement about the report (97KB)

· Measuring Improvement in the Energy Performance of the U.S. Cement Industry

· More information about EPA's work with the cement industry

EPA Kicks-Off 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition

Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program launched the 2011 National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings. Teams from 245 buildings around the country are going head-to-head to improve energy efficiency and determine who can reduce their energy use the most. Nearly five million commercial buildings in the United States are responsible for approximately 20 percent of both the nation’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion annually. Through energy efficiency improvements, competitors are working to save energy, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and protect the health of Americans.

EPA Press Release

Battle of the Buildings

EPA's ENERGY STAR Leaders Drive Greater Energy Efficiency

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Thousands of buildings across the country are saving energy while reducing harmful air pollutants and protecting the health of Americans with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program. EPA recognized 74 leading Energy Star organizations for their achievements in energy efficiency across their entire building portfolios in 2010, 50 of which were recognized as first time Energy Star Leaders. Through their commitment to superior energy management, these organizations together have prevented the equivalent of more than 460,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and saved more than $100 million a year.

EPA Press Release

Improvements to Portfolio Manager planned for March 21, 2011

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

New Senior Care Facility Model

Effective March 21, 2011, a new rating will be available for Senior Care facilities, and those facilities scoring 75 or higher will be eligible to apply for the ENERGY STAR label. This rating methodology will be used for individual buildings and campuses of buildings that house and provide care and assistance for elderly residents. Nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities) and assisted living facilities are eligible under this definition. Independent senior living communities are not eligible under this definition. However, it is common for some Senior Care Facilities to offer a mix of residential options including independent living along with some form of assisted living. In these situations, more than 50% of the units in a community must be considered skilled nursing or assisted living in order to be eligible as a Senior Care Facility. Facilities with more than 50% independent living units cannot earn a rating under this model and should benchmark using the Multifamily space type in Portfolio Manager.

Requirements

In order to compute the new rating, you will be required to enter 12 consecutive months of measured energy use for all fuel types and the following 12 operational parameters:

Gross floor area
Total Number of Units
Average Number of Residents
Total Resident Capacity
Workers on Main Shift
Number of PCs owned by the community (does not include PCs owned by residents)
Number of Commercial Refrigeration/Freezer Units
Number of Commercial Washing Machines
Number of Residential Washing Machines
Number of Residential Electronic Lift Systems
Percent of the Gross Floor Area that is Heated
Percent of the Gross Floor Area that is Cooled

When the updates are released on March 21, 2011, existing “Other- Health Care: Long Term Care (Nursing Home, Assisted Living)” spaces will be converted automatically to the new Senior Care Facility space type. Default values will be provided for all required attributes, which will enable you to see a rating. Please log-in to Portfolio Manager on or after March 21, 2011 to update these defaults with actual values for your community to receive the most accurate rating.

New Optional Inputs for the Data Center Space Type

Two new optional IT Energy meter types will be available in Portfolio Manager. The meter types are optional and therefore will not affect the ENERGY STAR rating calculation. The two new types are:

Power Distribution Unit (PDU) Output Energy
IT Equipment Input Energy (meters on each piece of equipment

Updates to Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) and Green Power Tracking

Several changes will be made to the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) tracking section in Portfolio Manager. This section will be re-named Green Power Purchases, and it will enable greater flexibility for tracking green power products that you may purchase as part of your greenhouse gas reduction strategy. When entering these purchases, you will have greater flexibility, including:

The option to input the Generation Method as a combination of six renewable energy types:
- Biogas
- Biomass
- Geothermal
- Small Hydropower
- Solar
- Wind

Three options to identify the location where your green power product was generated. The more information you know about the location where your power was generated, the more accurately Portfolio Manager can compute your Avoided Emissions. The three options for entering the generation location are:
- Specific electricity generation plant
- Unknown generation plant but known eGRID sub-region
- No information about the location available

The ability to specify the Generation Period in month/year format, including future dates, to more accurately represent the Green Power Purchase time period.

Revised Source Conversion Factors for District Steam and Hot Water Energy Types

The factors used to convert site energy into source energy will be updated for the District Steam and Hot Water energy types in order to take into account the growing presence of more efficient methods of generation, such as combined heat and power (CHP). The new conversion factors that will be used starting March 21, 2011 are:

District Steam- 1.21
District Hot Water- 1.28

More information about converting to source energy, including the current conversion factors, can be found at: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=evaluate_performance.bus_benchmark_comm_bldgs. The technical documentation of the calculation behind these factors will be posted on this website on March 21, 2011.

New and Revised Building Import Templates

A new template for the Senior Care Facility space type will be available for download. We encourage you to begin to gather data on your Senior Care Facilities so that you can benchmark their performance with the new ENERGY STAR rating methodology. However, because the new calculations will not be released to Portfolio Manager until March 21, 2011, any Senior Care Facility templates sent to buildings@energystar.gov will be processed after March 21, 2011.

Effective March 4, 2011
To accommodate the changes in the Portfolio Manager system, all existing import templates must also be revised. There is a transition period during which new templates will be posted and the previous templates will be removed.

New Templates – New templates will be posted for download on March 4, 2011. The electronic processing of any new templates will begin on March 21, 2011.
Old Templates – The previous templates will be removed on March 4, 2011. Any completed versions of the previous template must be submitted by March 14, 2011 in order to be processed electronically.

The new import templates will have the following changes:

Addition of the new optional Data Center IT Energy meter types to the following templates: Bank; Courthouse; Data Center; Dormitory; Hospital; Hotel; Medical; Office; Other; Refrigerated Warehouse; Retail; School; Supermarket; Unrefrigerated Warehouse; Worship
Removal of the “Healthcare- Long Term Care (Nursing Home; Assisted Living)” category from the Other template

Updates to the Automated Benchmarking Services Console

Two major changes will be made to the Automated Benchmarking Services Console:

New Meter Types – The Automated Benchmarking Services Console will now enable Portfolio Manager users to authorize their information service providers to support these additional meter types:
- Facility water meters
- Campus energy meters
- Campus water meters

Please note that ABS providers will be only be able to manage meter data to existing campus energy/water meters. ABS providers will not be able to add new or delete existing campus energy/water meters.

Multiple ABS Providers – The ABS console will now enable you to assign more than one ABS provider to each meter. Only a single ABS provider will be able to update the meter data (i.e. have read/write access), however you can also designate as many other providers as you would like to have read only access to each meter.

Update to Emissions Factors

EPA is in the process of updating the eGRID factors that are used to compute building emissions. The update is being performed to include the most current information available to EPA through our inventory of all electric generation facilities in the country. This enhancement will improve your ability to perform an emissions inventory of your building(s).

During this update, emissions data will be temporarily unavailable in Portfolio Manager from 1/31/2011 to 3/21/2011. EPA updates emissions data periodically when more current data is available and this process does not typically require a break in emissions reporting within Portfolio Manager. However, during this particular update, EPA is also modifying some supplementary reference data, which comes from an external proprietary data source. The availability of this data has affected the timing required to make this change. Therefore the interruption in our ability to report emissions data is an isolated event, and it not part of our standard updating protocol. We are working hard to transition to the new data source as quickly as possible. Emissions reporting will resume in Portfolio Manager on March 21, 2011.

If you have any questions about these changes, please contact buildings@energystar.gov.

Apply for EPA's 2011 National Building Competition

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0400

EPA is once again hosting a national competition among commercial buildings to save energy and fight climate change. Competitors will work off the waste through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA's ENERGY STAR program. More

ENERGY STAR Newsletter: Service and Product Provider Edition January 2011

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0400

All Federal Agencies Now Required to Lease Space in ENERGY STAR Labeled Buildings

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0400

As of December 19, 2010, Federal agencies are now required to lease space in buildings that have earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR in the most recent year. This provides an opportunity for owners and operators of ENERGY STAR labeled buildings to attract and retain Federal tenants, and allows Federal agencies to help move the market for energy efficient buildings.