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Space Type Definitions

The following is a list of definitions and data entry requirements for each space type that is available in Portfolio Manager. Whether a building is comprised of one or more space types, information on distinct operating characteristics of each type of space is needed to accurately assess the energy use of a building.

Bank/Financial Institution

Bank/Financial Institution applies to facility space used for financial services. Relevant businesses include bank branches, bank headquarters, securities and brokerage firms. The total gross floor area should include all supporting functions such as vaults, kitchens used by staff, lobbies, atria, conference rooms and auditoria, fitness areas for staff, storage areas, stairways, elevator shafts, etc. The following information is required for a Bank/Financial Institution Space.

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Weekly operating hours
• Number of workers on main shift
• Number of personal computers
• Percent of gross floor area that is air conditioned
• Percent of gross floor area that is heated

Courthouse

Courthouse applies to facility space used for federal, state, or local courts and associated office space. The total gross floor area should include all supporting functions such as temporary holding cells, kitchens used by staff, lobbies, atria, conference rooms and auditoria, fitness areas for staff, storage areas, stairways, elevator shafts, etc. The following information is required for a Courthouse Space.

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Weekly operating hours
• Number of workers on main shift
• Number of personal computers
• Percent of gross floor area that is air conditioned
• Percent of gross floor area that is heated

Data Center

Data Center applies to spaces specifically designed and equipped to meet the needs of high density computing equipment such as server racks, used for data storage and processing. Typically these facilities require dedicated uninterruptible power supplies and cooling systems. Data center functions may include traditional enterprise services, on-demand enterprise services, high performance computing, internet facilities, and/or hosting facilities. Often Data Centers are free standing, mission critical computing centers. When a data center is located within a larger building, it will usually have its own power and cooling systems. The Data Center space is intended for sophisticated computing and server functions; it should not be used to represent a server closet or computer training area. The total gross floor area is measured between the principal exterior surfaces of the enclosing fixed walls and includes all supporting functions for the data center. This should include the entire data center, which may have raised floor computing space, server rack aisles, storage silos, control console areas, battery rooms, mechanical rooms for cooling equipment, administrative office areas, elevator shafts, stairways, break rooms and restrooms. The following information is required for a Data Center Space.

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• IT Energy Configuration (Location of IT Energy Meter)
• Annual IT Energy

Dormitory / Residence Hall

Dormitory/Residence Hall applies to buildings associated with educational institutions or military facilities which offer multiple accommodations for long-term residents. The total gross floor area should include all supporting functions such as food service facilities, laundry facilities, meeting spaces, exercise rooms, health club/spas, lobbies, elevator shafts, storage areas stairways, etc. The following information is required for Residence Hall and Dormitory Spaces.

• Zip code
• Number of rooms
• Gross floor area

Hospital (General Medical and Surgical)

Hospital applies to a general medical and surgical hospital (including critical access hospitals and children’s hospitals) that is either a stand-alone building or a campus of buildings. These facilities provide acute care services intended to treat patients for short periods of time, including emergency medical care, physician's office services, diagnostic care, ambulatory care, surgical care, and limited specialty services such as rehabilitation and cancer care.

The definition of Hospital accounts for all space types that are located within the Hospital building/campus, such as medical offices, administrative offices, and skilled nursing. The total floor area should include the aggregate floor area of all buildings on the campus as well as all supporting functions such as: stairways, connecting corridors between buildings, medical offices, exam rooms, laboratories, lobbies, atria, cafeterias, storage areas, elevator shafts, and any space affiliated with emergency medical care, or diagnostic care. The following information is required for a Hospital (General Medical and Surgical) Space:

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Number of full-time equivalent (FTE) workers
• Number of staffed beds
• Number of MRI Machines

More than 50% of the gross floor area of all buildings must be used for general medical and surgical services AND more than 50% of the licensed beds must provide acute care services. Properties that use more than 50% of the gross floor area for long-term care, skilled nursing, specialty care, and/or ambulatory surgical centers or that have less than 50% of their beds licensed for acute care services are not considered eligible hospitals under this definition.

Ineligible healthcare spaces should be entered as “Other”, and then should be further defined by one of the following “Other” healthcare space types that best describes the facility.

• Other: “Healthcare: Inpatient (Specialty Hospitals, Excluding Children's)”. These facilities are long-term care hospitals that are certified as acute care hospitals and provide patients with acute care for extended inpatient stays, defined by federal statute as an average of 25 days or more. Examples of facilities that should be entered under this space type include facilities with more than 50% long term acute care, cancer care, rehab, and/or psychiatric care.
• Other: “Healthcare: Outpatient”. These facilities are outpatient facilities that don’t meet the 50% rule for the Medical Office space type, such as having more than 50% of floor area for day surgery. An example of this type of facility is an ambulatory surgical center.
• Other: “Clinic/Other Outpatient Health”. These facilities have more than 50% of their floor area used for diagnosis and treatment for medical, dental, or psychiatric outpatient care (the same space use characteristics for “Medical Office”), but are less than 5,000 ft².

No unique space uses should be entered other than the space types Parking, Data Center, or Swimming Pool. All of the other facility and/or campus characteristics should be aggregated under the “Hospital (General Medical Surgical)” space use classification within Portfolio Manager.

Additional guidance: Healthcare Classification Document (628KB)

Hotel

Hotel applies to buildings that rent overnight accommodations on a room/suite basis, typically including a bath/shower and other facilities in guest rooms. Hotel properties typically have daily services available to guests including housekeeping/laundry and a front desk/concierge. The total gross floor area should include all interior space, including guestrooms, halls, lobbies, atria, food preparation and restaurant space, conference and banquet space, health clubs/spas, indoor pool areas, and laundry facilities, as well as all space used for supporting functions such as elevator shafts, stairways, mechanical rooms, storage areas, employee break rooms, back-of-house offices, etc. Hotel does not apply to properties where more than 50% of the floor area is occupied by fractional ownership units such as condominiums or vacation timeshares. Hotel properties should be majority-owned by a single entity and have rooms available on a nightly basis

The following information is required for a Hotel Space.

• Zip code
• Number of rooms
• Gross floor area
• Workers on Main Shift
• Number of Commercial Refrigeration/Freezer Units
• Presence of Cooking Facilities
• Percent of the Gross Floor Area that is Heated
• Percent of the Gross Floor Area that is Cooled

House of Worship

House of Worship applies to buildings that are used as places of worship. This includes churches, temples, mosques, synagogues, meetinghouses, or any other buildings that primarily function as a place of religious worship. The rating applies to buildings that function as the primary place of worship and not to other buildings that may be associated with a religious organization, such as living quarters, schools, or buildings used primarily for other community activities. The rating applies to worship facilities that have 4,000 seats or fewer.

The following information is required for House of Worship Spaces.

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Seating capacity
• Number of weekdays in operation
• Weekly operating hours
• Number of personal computers
• Presence of cooking facilities
• Number of commercial refrigeration/freezer units

K-12 School

K-12 School applies to facility space used as a school building for Kindergarten through 12th grade students. This does not include college or university classroom facilities and laboratories, or vocational, technical, or trade schools. The total gross floor area should include all supporting functions such as administrative space, conference rooms, kitchens used by staff, lobbies, cafeterias, gymnasiums, auditoria, laboratory classrooms, portable classrooms, greenhouses, stairways, atria, elevator shafts, small landscaping sheds, storage areas, etc. The K-12 school model does not apply to preschool or day care buildings; in order to classify as K-12 school, more than 75% of the students must be in kindergarten or older.

The following information is required for a K-12 School Space.

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Whether the School is open on weekends (yes/no)
• Percent of the gross floor area of this space that is cooled
• Percent of the gross floor area of this space that is heated
• Number of personal computers
• Presence of cooking facilities
• Whether the School is a High School (yes/no)

Medical Office

Medical Office applies to facility space used to provide diagnosis and treatment for medical, dental, or psychiatric outpatient care. The total gross floor area should include all supporting functions such as kitchens used by staff, laboratories, lobbies, atria, conference rooms and auditoria, fitness areas for staff, storage areas, stairways, elevator shafts, etc.

Additional guidance: Healthcare Classification Document (628KB)

The following information is required for a Medical Office Space.

• Zip code
• Number of workers on main shift
• Weekly operating hours
• Gross floor area

Multifamily Housing

EPA defines the Multifamily space type as a residential building equal to or larger than 2 units. Multifamily space types include all square footage in the residential units, common areas, and unconditioned space (boiler room). Occupants of Multifamily housing can include tenants, cooperators, and/or individual owners.

The following information is required for Multifamily Housing Spaces.

• Zip Code
• Gross floor area

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant

A wastewater treatment plant is a facility that is designed to treat municipal wastewater. The level of treatment at a plant will vary based on the BOD limits and the specific processes involved. This space type in Portfolio Manager is appropriate for primary, secondary, and advanced treatment facilities with or without nutrient removal. Treatment processes may include biological, chemical, and physical treatment. This space type is best applied to wastewater treatment facilities of 150 MGD or smaller. This space type does not apply to water treatment and distribution facilities.

The following information is required for wastewater treatment facilities:

• Zip code
• Average influent flow
• Average influent biological oxygen demand (BOD₅)
• Average effluent biological oxygen demand (BOD₅)
• Plant design flow rate
• Presence of fixed film trickle filtration process
• Presence of nutrient removal process

Office

Office applies to facility spaces used for general office, professional, and administrative purposes. The total gross floor area should include all supporting functions such as kitchens used by staff, lobbies, atria, conference rooms and auditoria, fitness areas for staff, storage areas, stairways, elevator shafts, etc. The following information is required for an Office Space.

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Weekly operating hours
• Number of workers on main shift
• Number of personal computers
• Percent of gross floor area that is air conditioned
• Percent of gross floor area that is heated

Other

Spaces that do not fit clearly within any available categories should be designated as "other". Other may be used to designate any space not listed in Portfolio Manager, this could include restaurants, laboratories, penitentiaries, or manufacturing facilities. If an entire facility is classified as Other, it is not eligible to receive a National energy performance rating; however, if a portion of a facility is classified as Other, you may be able to receive a National energy performance rating. To be eligible, the gross floor area of the facility must be comprised of 50% or more of an eligible space type and 10% or less of the gross floor area must be comprised of an Other space type.

The following information is required for Other Spaces.

• Gross floor area
• Weekly operating hours

Additional Guidance on Other

Parking

The Parking space type is intended for any area connected to the building that is used for parking vehicles. This includes parking lots, fully enclosed parking structures, and unenclosed parking structures that are open on all sides and may or may not include roof parking. All parking areas should be combined into one parking space. The purpose of combining all of these areas into one space is to avoid double counting and simplify the process. By apportioning the square foot of the parking area into these three categories, Portfolio Manager can properly assign lighting and ventilation allowances.

For example, if a building contains two parking lots and one under ground fully enclosed parking structure, all three parking areas should be combined and entered as one parking space in Portfolio Manager. The square footage of the two parking lots should be added together and entered as one unit under “Parking sqft that is open (no roof)” and the square footage of the enclosed parking structure should be entered under “Parking sqft that is enclosed”.

The following information is required for Parking Spaces:

• Parking ft² that is enclosed
• Parking ft² that is unenclosed (with a roof)
• Parking ft² that is open (no roof)
• Weekly Hours of Access

Retail Store

Retail Store applies to facility space used to conduct the retail sale of consumer product goods. Stores must be at least 5,000 square feet and have an exterior entrance to the public. The total gross floor area should include all supporting functions such as kitchens and break rooms used by staff, storage areas, administrative areas, elevators, stairwells, etc. Retail segments typically included under this definition are: Department Stores, Discount Stores, Supercenters, Warehouse Clubs, Drug Stores, Dollar Stores, Home Center/Hardware Stores, and Apparel/Hard Line Specialty Stores (e.g. books, clothing, office products, toys, home goods, electronics). Retail segments excluded under this definition are: Supermarkets (eligible to be benchmarked as Supermarket space), Convenience Stores, Automobile Dealerships, and Restaurants.

Retail properties are eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR at the store level only. Eligible store configurations include: free standing stores; stores located in open air or strip centers (a collection of attached stores with common areas that are not enclosed); and mall anchors. Retail configurations not eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR include: entire enclosed malls (a collection of attached stores with enclosed common areas); individual stores located within enclosed malls; entire open air or strip centers; and individual stores that are part of a larger non-mall building (i.e. office or hotel). Retail space that is part of a mixed-use property should review the mixed-use benchmarking guidance.

The following information is required for retail stores:

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Operating hours per week
• Number workers on main shift
• Number of personal computers
• Number of cash registers
• Number of walk-in refrigeration/freezer units
• Number of open and closed refrigeration/freezer cases
• Percent of the store that is heated
• Percent of the store that is cooled
• Exterior entrance to the public (yes or no)

Senior Care Facility

Senior Care Facility applies to individual buildings and campuses of buildings that house and provide care and assistance for elderly residents. The total gross floor area of a Senior Care Facility should include all activities such as individual rooms or units, wellness centers, exam rooms, community rooms, small shops or service areas for residents and visitors (e.g. hair salons, convenience stores), staff offices, lobbies, atria, cafeterias, kitchens, storage areas, hallways, basements, stairways, connecting corridors between buildings, and elevator shafts.

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. 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.

Additional guidance on the Senior Care Facility space: Senior Care Classification Document (288KB)

• 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

Supermarket

The Supermarket/Grocery Store space type applies to facility space used for the retail sale of food and beverage products. It should not be used by restaurants, which are not eligible for a rating at this time. The total gross floor area should include all supporting functions such as kitchens and break rooms used by staff, storage areas (refrigerated and non-refrigerated), administrative areas, stairwells, atria, lobbies, etc.

The following information is required for Supermarket and Grocery Store Spaces.

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Weekly operating hours
• Workers on main shift
• Presence of cooking facilities
• Number of walk-in refrigeration/freezer units
• Percent of the gross floor area that is heated
• Percent of the gross floor area that is cooled

Swimming Pool

Swimming Pool applies to heated swimming pools that operate on the premises and on the same energy-use meter as the primary facility. This category applies to any heated swimming pools located inside or outside of the facility. Swimming pools are categorized by size,and whether they are an indoor or outdoor pool.

The following information is required for Swimming Pools.

• Indoor or Outdoor
• Size of Swimming Pool

Warehouse (Refrigerated or Unrefrigerated)

Warehouse applies to unrefrigerated or refrigerated buildings that are used to store goods, manufactured products, merchandise or raw materials. The total gross floor area of Refrigerated Warehouses should include all temperature controlled areas designed to store perishable goods or merchandise under refrigeration at temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The total gross floor area of Unrefrigerated Warehouses should include space designed to store non-perishable goods and merchandise. Unrefrigerated warehouses also include distribution centers. The total gross floor area of refrigerated and unrefrigerated warehouses should include all supporting functions such as offices, lobbies, stairways, rest rooms, equipment storage areas, elevator shafts, etc. Existing atriums or areas with high ceilings should only include the base floor area that they occupy. The total gross floor area of refrigerated or unrefrigerated warehouse should not include outside loading bays or docks. Self-storage facilities, or facilities that rent individual storage units, are not eligible for a rating using the warehouse model.

The following information is required for Unrefrigerated Warehouse Spaces.

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Number of walk-in coolers and refrigerators
• Weekly operating hours
• Number of workers on main shift
• Percent of gross floor area that is air conditioned
• Percent of gross floor area that is heated

The following information is required for Refrigerated Warehouse Spaces.

• Zip code
• Gross floor area
• Weekly operating hours
• Number of workers on main shift

Water Treatment and Distribution Utility

A water treatment and distribution utility applies to water distribution facilities designed to pump and distribute drinking water through a network of pipes. Depending on the water source (ground or surface) a water utility may or may not contain a treatment process. The space type in Portfolio Manager is appropriate for water treatment and distribution facilities with or without treatment, and may include ground surface, and/or purchased water sources.

The following information is required for Water Treatment and Distribution Utilities:

• Zip code
• Average flow