About the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry

EPA's ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry Logo

The ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry is a global call-to-action for industrial sites to reduce their energy intensity by 10 percent within 5 years.

Eligibility

Any industrial site whose primary activity is classified within NAICS codes 31-33, 21, or 11 can participate.

Mixed-use sites?

A site with mixed uses (such as those which include research and development, administration, and manufacturing) may participate in the Challenge as long as the manufacturing and research and development energy use makes up at least 50 percent of the site’s total energy use. Research and development space, for the purposes of the Challenge, includes laboratories, vivariums, clean rooms, product testing labs, and other areas requiring ventilation rates much higher than typical office and administrative spaces.

Mixed-use sites are not required to sub-meter to distinguish between industrial and non-industrial spaces but should be able to provide an estimate of the energy loads or use for each space type.

Sites around the world?

Sites around the world can participate, as long as the parent company is an ENERGY STAR partner and operates industrial sites within the U.S. or its territories.

The steps

It’s easy to participate in the Challenge. The steps are:

  1. Establish an energy intensity metric;
  2. Select an energy tracking method;
  3. Set a baseline (any recent 12-month period) and 10 percent improvement goal;
  4. Create a file for all documents and a plan for tracking data;
  5. Register for the Challenge;
  6. Track energy use and achieve the 10 percent reduction; and
  7. Verify energy savings and apply for recognition.

Details about each step are provided in the Participant Handbook.

What you get

Sites that achieve a 10% reduction within five years will receive:

  • An official certificate from ENERGY STAR documenting savings,
  • A congratulatory letter from EPA to the company’s CEO highlighting the site’s accomplishments, and
  • Recognition on the ENERGY STAR website.

Note: To be eligible for recognition, a site’s parent company must be an ENERGY STAR partner.