EPA created ENERGY STAR as a voluntary
program to help businesses and individuals protect the environment
through superior energy efficiency. The program focuses on reducing
utility-generated emissions by reducing the demand for energy. In
1991, EPA launched the Green Lights Program to encourage
corporations, State and local governments, colleges and
universities, and other organizations to adopt energy-efficient
lighting as a profitable means of preventing pollution and
improving lighting quality. Since then, EPA has rolled Green Lights
into ENERGY STAR and expanded ENERGY STAR to encompass
organization-wide energy performance improvement, such as building
technology upgrades, product purchasing initiatives, and employee
training. At the same time, EPA has streamlined the reporting
requirements of ENERGY STAR and focused on providing incentives for
improvements (e.g., ENERGY STAR Awards Program). EPA also makes
tools and other resources available over the Web to help the public
overcome the barriers to evaluating their energy performance and
investing in profitable improvements. In addition, EPA is always
looking for ways to simplify its information collections, such as
by giving organizations the option of joining ENERGY STAR by
completing an online partnership letter or agreement instead of
using regular mail. Partnership in ENERGY STAR is voluntary and can
be terminated by Partners or EPA at any time. EPA does not expect
organizations to join the program unless they expect participation
to be cost-effective and otherwise beneficial for them. In
addition, Partners and any other interested party can help EPA
promote energy-efficient technologies by evaluating the efficiency
of their buildings using EPA's on-line tools (e.g., Portfolio
Manager) and applying for recognition. If a claim of confidential
business information (CBI) is asserted, EPA will manage that
information in accordance with EPA's provisions on confidentiality.
For several reasons, there has been a dramatic increase in the
public's participation in ENERGY STAR over the past several years,
and EPA expects their participation to rise even more in the coming
years. President Obama has made energy efficiency an important
component of the Federal government's approach to energy
management. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009, Congress and the president allocated approximately $20
billion to encourage Federal agencies, States, local governments
and industry to design, improve and use energy efficient buildings
and products. In addition, a growing number of State and local
governments are leveraging ENERGY STAR as a way for the public to
respond to rising energy costs and global warming. Participation in
ENERGY STAR has also risen dramatically because of the efforts of
trade associations, utilities, and third-party providers in
promoting the program to the public. These organizations
voluntarily communicate ENERGY STAR messages and promote the use of
ENERGY STAR tools and strategies in an effort to help companies
reduce their energy consumption and find more environmentally
friendly ways to conduct business.
There is an increase of 70,523
hours in the total estimated annual burden hours currently
identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens.
Specifically, there is a 3,065-hour decrease due to program changes
and a 73,588-hour increase due to adjustments resulting from
program growth. This resulted in a net increase of 70,523 hours.
The decrease of 3,065 hours due to program changes resulted
primarily from EPA's changes to the Service and Product Provider
(SPP) program. EPA recently modified the SPP program by
establishing requirements for a minimum level of activity for SPPs.
If a SPP does not maintain a minimum level of activity, it will not
be featured in a variety of "most active" online listings. In
addition, EPA will automatically track SPP activity through
internally generated monthly reports. These modifications, taken
together, are expected to reduce the number of SPPs actively
participating in ENERGY STAR collections. EPA has reflected this
program change by estimating the number of SPPs expected to remain
active and involved in the collections. The burden increase due to
adjustments resulted primarily from EPA's adjustments to its
analysis of Portfolio Manager and ENERGY STAR Labeling. A
significant increase in the number of participants using Portfolio
Manager and ENERGY STAR Labeling has led to the increase in burden
hours, reflecting the dramatic increase in the public's use of
these tools and resources over the past three years. The Agency
expects continued strong growth for the future. EPA believes that
the burden estimated in this ICR is justified given the significant
benefits to participants, the general public, and environment under
the ENERGY STAR Program. For example, EPA estimates that, in 2007,
the energy efficiency efforts of commercial buildings helped to
prevent 18 million metric tons of greenhouse gases and achieve a
net savings of $5.4 billion. The efforts of industry helped to
prevent another 6.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gases and
achieve a net savings of $2.1 billion. Buildings and plants that
qualify for the ENERGY STAR also illustrate these savings.
Typically, ENERGY STAR buildings use 35 percent less energy and
emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than average buildings. The
more than 3,300 commercial buildings and plants that earned the
ENERGY STAR in 2008 accounted for savings of more than $1 billion
in utility bills and over 7 million metric tons of emissions.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Form 5900-196 ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Public Sector Entities
1772ss_11_23_09.pdf
ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Public Sector Entities