An Overview of ENERGY STAR® Certificationfor Commercial BuildingsSeptember 19, 2013

Presenters: Nils Klinkenberg, The Cadmus Group, Inc. (Contractor to the U.S. EPA);Ricardo Fleury, Resource Management Specialist, Ecova

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Learning Objectives

• To gain an understanding of:– The ENERGY STAR buildings program– Benchmarking vs. Certification– Eligibility requirements– The value of ENERGY STAR Certification– How to apply

What is ENERGY STAR for Buildings?

• EPA voluntary climate protection partnership with energy users and service and product providers

• Helps organizations benchmark, track, and improve energy performance

• Helps organizations save energy and money and protect the environment

• Brand recognition - 85% of Americans

• ENERGY STAR on a building = Superior Energy Performance

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Is 60 MPG high or low for this automobile?

Is 90 kBtu/SF/YR high or low for this building?

Fuel Efficiency: MPG

Energy Performance Score: 1 to 100

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• Free, secure, online energy-benchmarking tool for buildings

• Measure whole-building actual energy performance

• Tracks energy intensity, cost, GHG emissions

• Normalizes for weather, operating hours, occupant density, and other characteristics

• 1 – 100 score based on source energy use intensity (EUI), compared to a national statistical sample

• Platform for ENERGY STAR building certification

Benchmarking vs. Certification

 Benchmark Certification

Requires utility bills? ✔ ✔

Requires building and occupancy characteristics?

✔ ✔

Mandated?(✔)

(in some areas)

✘

Performance threshold? (minimum score)

✘ ✔ (75)

Requires on-site inspection? ✘ ✔

• Buildings must be benchmarked in order to be eligible to receive the ENERGY STAR certification

• Benchmarking identifies eligible properties via the ENERGY STAR 1 – 100 energy performance score

• Minimum score of 75 (75th percentile of energy performance) required for certification

Earn the ENERGY STAR Certification for Commercial Buildings

• Recognition for top energy performance

• Over 22,000 buildings have earned the ENERGY STAR to date

• Geographic mapping of all certified buildings online

501 75

National Average

Superior Energy Management!

1 to 100 ENERGY STAR Energy Performance Scale100

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The Value of ENERGY STAR

It’s a little label, but it’s well recognized and carries three big messages:

1.Cost effective

2.Protects the environment

3.No trade-offs

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… recognized by more than 85% of

Americans

The Value of ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR Certification represents…

• Reduced operating expenses as compared to non-ENERGY STAR-certified properties

• Better control of operating expense escalations

• Proxy for better functioning equipment

• Proxy for overall management

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See www.imt.org/rating-value for more information

Premiums for ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings

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Certification Rates Continue to Grow

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More than 22,000 ENERGY STAR

certified properties

To be eligible for certification, a property must:1. Be located in the United States, U.S. territories, or owned by the

U.S. government

2. Meet the definition of one of the eligible property types

3. Receive an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher that reflects

– the whole property (or campus for Hospitals, Hotels, K-12 Schools or Senior Care)

– all energy use on the entire property for 12 months

– accurate property use details (with vacancy accounted for in Offices and Medical Offices when appropriate)

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Eligibility for Certification

Property Types Eligible for ENERGY STAR Certification

• Bank Branch• Barracks• Courthouse• Data Center• Distribution Center• Financial Office• Hospital (General Medical &

Surgical)• Hotel• K-12 School

• Medical Office• Non-Refrigerated Warehouse• Office• Refrigerated Warehouse• Retail Store• Residence Hall/Dormitory• Senior Care Community• Supermarket/Grocery Store• Wholesale Club/Supercenter• Worship Facility

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Information on all types is available on the ENERGY STAR website: http://www.energystar.gov/buildings/facility-owners-and-managers/existing-buildings/use-portfolio-manager/understand-metrics/eligibility

Applying for the ENERGY STAR

Create and Submit Building Profile

Submit OnlineApplication

(& Respond to any EPA questions)

Professional Verification (incl. sitevisit by P.E. or R.A.)

ENERGY STAR Score of 75 to 100

Certification*

14*Year of certification is based on date awarded

Application FAQs

• Who can apply?

– A building owner (or a building manager, or a service provider company, on the owner’s behalf)

• Where do I apply?

– Online, through Portfolio Manager

• After applying, how long does it take?– ~3 weeks to review and process

(longer if the review team has questions)

– Then ~2 weeks for the letter of congratulations, certificate, and decals to arrive

– Track your application progress online in Portfolio Manager

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Communicate Your Achievements!

• Display the ENERGY STAR decal at the entrance of your property

• Take advantage of ready-to-use ENERGY STAR materials to communicate with stakeholders about your certified property

– Available at: http://www.energystar.gov/buildings/about-us/how-can-we-help-you/communicate/energy-star-communications-toolkit/earn-energy-star

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• Consider a newsletter article, email blast, website or blog post, article on an employee intranet, or other announcement to promote your certified property(ies)

Communicate Your Achievements!

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Typical Timeline for Certification: Example from Ecova

1-2 hours on site with building manager or engineer

Captures data to validate information benchmarked (minimally intrusive)

Identifies potential energy efficiency initiatives to further improve performance

Benchmark buildings

Determine label

eligibility

Site visit and review

EPA review

Receive Energy Star

label

12 months of energy data 4-6 weeks ~3 weeks Achieved

Site visit

Application verified and stamped by an Ecova professional engineer (PE)

EPA review times may vary

Automated data exchange is paused during application process and resumes upon completion

Application review

A Mark of Achievement

High-Performance

Buildings Energy Star

Benchmarked Buildings

All Buildings

Only the top 25% of buildings are eligible for ENERGY STAR certification

ENERGY STAR benchmarking is increasingly prominent – a growing number of cities are requiring benchmarking as part of their sustainability strategy.

Recap – ENERGY STAR Certification for Buildings

We covered: What Is ENERGY STAR Certification?

The Value of the ENERGY STAR

Eligibility Requirements for Certification

How to Apply

Communicating Your Achievements

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Upcoming Ecova Webinars

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Q&A

Thank you!