Custom Program Solutions

We understand that not every customer's needs are one-size-fits-all. Customers may be looking at solutions that go beyond prescriptive equipment. ENERGY STAR serves as a resource for partners and programs that are addressing the need for customized solutions. 

New Construction

The greatest opportunity to ensure energy efficiency and integrate cost-effective energy measures in a building occurs during the design process. Your customers can deliver designs that prevent carbon emissions, save money, and reduce energy use well into the future by having projects achieve Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR. This recognition is awarded by EPA to commercial and multifamily high-rise new construction projects that meet EPA eligibility criteria and receive an ENERGY STAR 1 – 100 design score of 75 or higher for total annual estimated energy use. Encourage your customers to follow the ENERGY STAR design guidance and set an energy target, evaluate energy strategies, document energy intent, and earn recognition. You could also consider adding incentives for projects achieving Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR or for general technical assistance to meet program requirements, provide resources, and/or offer trainings.

Data Centers

photo of data center interior

Data centers are a huge and growing source of energy consumption. By some estimates, they’re said to be the highest growth area over the next several decades as lighting and other building systems become more efficient.  

On average, data center energy accounts for 23% of annual energy cost in a typical office building and can be 40%–50% of energy costs in a high efficiency office building. 

We developed a guide to help you set up an efficient data center program (PDF, 309KB) that will:

  • Highlight energy-efficiency opportunities in data centers
  • Provide an overview of data center programs throughout the country
  • Suggest solutions to market structure challenges
  • Summarize program models and measures
  • Explain program planning strategies and evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V) best practices
  • Suggest implementation strategies for data center programs

Additional information on data center equipment and resources can be found on the Data Center Equipment page.

Beneficial Electrification

To meet decarbonization goals, commercial buildings are evolving toward beneficial electrification, or the process of replacing the use of fossil fuels with electricity in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. This can be done through a variety of approaches, such as replacing inefficient equipment, installing renewable energy, and switching to electric transportation. Learn more about ENERGY STAR Resources for State and Tribal High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Programs. 

Financial Tools

You can use or highlight any of the tools below to help your customers learn more about financing opportunities or the cost of delaying energy efficiency projects.

Did Your Energy Efficiency Project Get Lost in Translation? Financial Speak for Facility Managers: This paper highlights alternative financing solutions specific to energy efficiency that may be the perfect solution for a project, yet unknown to an organization’s CFO.

Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator: Using the tool, you will be able to estimate how much new equipment you can finance using anticipated savings, as well whether you should finance now or wait for a lower interest rate. 

Building Upgrade Value Calculator: Use the Building Upgrade Value Calculator (BUVC) to analyze the financial value of efficiency-related capital investments in commercial real estate.