EPA's ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors (Renewal)
Revision of a currently approved collection
No
Regular
Approved without change
03/11/2013
01/29/2013
When this ICR is renewed, EPA should review the respondent burden, universe, and labor rates, and ensure these estimates have been updated.
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
03/31/2016
36 Months From Approved
03/31/2013
218,704
0
46,278
194,509
0
125,023
10,318,180
0
5,965,264
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.
This ICR includes several miscellaneous program changes made at the Agency's discretion. For example, EPA eliminated the ENERGY STAR Challenge, which reduced hourly burden. EPA also created the National Building Competition, which increased hourly and O&M burden. The net result of such changes is an 18-hour decrease in hourly burden and a $14,000 increase in O&M costs in this ICR.
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.
ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Public Sector Entities