100,000 Multifamily Housing Units Earn the ENERGY STAR Label

ENERGY STAR Update
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing an important milestone for the ENERGY STAR program: more than 100,000 low- and high-rise multifamily housing units have earned the ENERGY STAR label to date. This includes more than 6,100 individual high-rise housing units, as well as more than 105,000 individual low-rise housing units. In 2013 alone, more than 2,300 multifamily high-rise units and nearly 12,000 low-rise multifamily units were certified.

New and substantially rehabilitated multifamily housing units that earn the ENERGY STAR label are constructed to be at least 15 percent more efficient than units built to code requirements (2009 International Energy Conservation Code for low-rise units and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers energy use standard for high-rise units). Low-rise units have been eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR since 1995, while high-rise multifamily buildings first became eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR in 2011. Together, the ENERGY STAR certified multi-family programs support the President’s Climate Action Plan by giving property owners the opportunity to save energy and money while offering tenants more efficient, affordable, and comfortable homes.

Products, homes and buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR label prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency requirements set by the U.S. EPA. In 2012 alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $26 billion on their utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual electricity use of more than 35 million homes. From the first ENERGY STAR qualified computer in 1992, the ENERGY STAR label can now be found on products in more than 70 different categories, with more than 4.5 billion sold over the past 20 years. Over 1.4 million new homes and 20,000 office buildings, schools and hospitals have earned the ENERGY STAR label.