EPA 1-100 Water Score for Multifamily Properties

Consistent with the approach to the 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR score, you can generate an EPA 1 – 100 water score to see how your multifamily property’s water consumption measures up against similar properties nationwide. Available to existing multifamily properties with 20 or more units, the score provides a statistical evaluation of whole property water use—including both indoor and outdoor use—normalized for weather and operation.

The score was developed using data from the Fannie Mae Energy and Water Market Research Survey.

What is needed to generate a score?

To receive an EPA 1 – 100 water score for your multifamily property, the following inputs are required in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager:

  • 12 months of whole-property water use data
  • Property location
  • Gross floor area
  • Number of units
  • Total number of bedrooms
  • Irrigated area

What is irrigated area?

If you regularly benchmark your multifamily property in Portfolio Manager, the above inputs should be familiar. But, to generate the EPA 1 – 100 water score, you will need one additional input: irrigated area.

Outdoor water use can represent a significant portion of a multifamily property’s overall water use, so it’s a critical factor in calculating the EPA 1 – 100 water score. The irrigated area of a property is the outdoor vegetated area that is regularly supplied water. It typically includes areas that are irrigated with either an automatic or in-ground irrigation system, but may also include areas regularly watered by hand. It should not include hardscape or un-vegetated surfaces such as patios, decks, driveways, or parking lots.

Learn how to determine a property’s irrigated area.

Learn more about the EPA 1-100 water score

For technical details about how the EPA 1-100 water score was developed, including a description of the statistical analysis that was performed to identify significant drivers of water consumption, see Portfolio Manager technical reference: Water score for multifamily housing in the United States.