Home > Buildings & Plants > Portfolio Manager Overview > Apply for the ENERGY STAR for Your Buildings

Apply for the ENERGY STAR for Your Buildings

You can use Portfolio Manager to measure and track the energy use of any commercial or industrial building. However, for certain types of buildings, you can go a step further and rate their energy performance on EPA’s ENERGY STAR 1-100 energy performance scale relative to similar buildings nationwide. Buildings that achieve an ENERGY STAR energy performance score of 75 or higher—meaning they are in the top 25 percent for energy efficiency in the nation compared with similar buildings—and are professionally verified to meet current indoor environment standards are eligible to apply for the ENERGY STAR.

ENERGY STAR certified buildings typically use 35 percent less energy than average buildings and cost 50 cents less per square foot to operate. They also have higher occupancy rates, increased asset value, and lower carbon emissions. Displaying the ENERGY STAR plaque conveys superior energy performance and a commitment to using resources responsibly to tenants, customers, and employees. Highlighting the ENERGY STAR certified buildings in your portfolio also sends a positive message to lenders, appraisers, owners, investors, and potential tenants or customers.

Before Applying for the ENERGY STAR

Determine if Your Building Meets the Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to receive a national ENERGY STAR score, your building must meet all three of these requirements:

• Building designation – More than 50 percent of your building’s gross floor area must be one of the spaces eligible to receive an ENERGY STAR score. The remainder of the building must abide by specific rules for each space type.
• Operating characteristics – To ensure your building is consistent with the peer group used for comparison, each space in your building must meet certain minimum and maximum thresholds for key operating characteristics.
• Energy data – You must enter at least 11 full consecutive calendar months for all active meters, accounting for all energy use (regardless of fuel type) in the building.

Review Other Requirements

• You must have a Licensed Professional (meaning a Professional Engineer or Registered Architect) verify that all energy use is accounted for accurately, that the building characteristics have been properly reported (including the square footage of the building), that the building is fully functional in accordance with industry standards, and that each of the indoor environment criteria has been met.
  
  Refer your licensed professional to the The Licensed Professional’s Guide: Understanding the Roles and Requirements for Verifying Commercial Building Applications for ENERGY STAR Certification (1.36MB) for guidance in verifying a commercial building for the ENERGY STAR.


• Read and understand the ENERGY STAR Identity Guidelines.

Steps for Applying for the ENERGY STAR

Once you have determined if your building is eligible for the ENERGY STAR and reviewed other relevant requirements, follow these five steps to apply for the ENERGY STAR.

1. To Benchmark Your Building and apply for the ENERGY STAR, enter the required energy use and building information in EPA’s ENERGY STAR measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager, and determine if the building achieves a score of 75 or better. If you are new to Portfolio Manager, see the ENERGY STAR Benchmarking Starter Kit to get started.
2. If the building achieves a score of 75 or better, Generate Application Documents in Portfolio Manager: the Statement of Energy Performance (SEP), the Data Checklist, and the Letter of Agreement (LOA). To generate these documents, from your Portfolio Manager account, click on the appropriate building’s name. Then under “Applying for the ENERGY STAR” click on the link “Apply for the ENERGY STAR.” On the next page that opens, carefully follow the steps given to complete the process.
3. Check Application Documents for Common Errors. There are several common errors during the application process that may result in a delay of your application’s review. Please review this Checklist of Common Errors in ENERGY STAR Applications to ensure your application is complete.
4. Validate Application Documents by having a Licensed Professional sign and stamp the SEP, and complete and sign the Data Checklist. Also, have the LOA signed by the same Primary Contact listed on the SEP.
5. Submit Application Documents. Mail the signed and stamped SEP, the completed and signed Data Checklist, and the signed LOA to ENERGY STAR (postmarked within 120 days of the SEP Period Ending Date).

ENERGY STAR Certification for Buildings
c/o The Cadmus Group, Inc.
1555 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22209

NOTE: The ENERGY STAR is awarded for a specific year. A building that has earned the ENERGY STAR becomes eligible to reapply one year after the last energy data included in the SEP submitted as part of the previous year's application. EPA conducts periodic reviews on randomly selected ENERGY STAR certified buildings to monitor that all standards are met.