The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (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 for the commercial and industrial sectors 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 recognition incentives for improvements
(e.g., ENERGY STAR Awards Program). EPA also makes tools and
resources available over the Web to help the public overcome the
barriers to evaluating their energy performance and investing in
profitable improvements. For several reasons, the public’s
participation in the ENERGY STAR program for commercial and
industrial sectors has continued to increase over the past several
years, and EPA expects their participation to rise even more in the
coming years. For example, President Obama and the U.S. Congress
have made energy efficiency an important component of the federal
government’s approach to energy management. In addition, the Energy
Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015 includes “Tenant Star,” a new
recognition program within ENERGY STAR to improve energy efficiency
in tenant-occupied spaces in commercial buildings. 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, including mandatory energy benchmarking and
disclosure laws that require buildings within their jurisdiction to
use EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. 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. As participation has increased, EPA has taken measures to
reduce the burden on participants to take advantage of the benefits
of ENERGY STAR. For example, EPA has expanded Portfolio Manager Web
Services, which is a method of benchmarking that is much easier
than other methods. The Agency also completed a comprehensive
upgrade of Portfolio Manager, allowing participants to enter and
retrieve information more quickly, and vastly simplified the
process of entering building data in the National Building
Competition so participants can register portfolios of buildings
with just a few clicks. As a result of the efforts of Partners and
others under the ENERGY STAR Program, there have been significant
benefits to the public and environment. For example, EPA estimates
that, in 2013, the energy efficiency efforts of commercial
buildings helped to avoid 96.0 million metric tons of carbon
dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) of greenhouse gases and a net $7.7
billion (2013$). The efforts of industry helped to prevent another
39.7 MMTCO2 e of greenhouse gases and achieve a net savings of $2.2
billion (2013$). Typically, ENERGY STAR buildings use 35% less
energy and emit 35% less greenhouse gases than average buildings.
By the end of 2013, more than 22,000 buildings and plants
representing more than three billion square feet of space had
earned ENERGY STAR certification.
The majority of the increase in
ICR 1772.07 resulted from EPA’s adjustments to its estimates of the
public’s use of Portfolio Manager, EPA’s voluntary online tool for
energy management. Based on the previous three years, EPA expects
the number of participants using Portfolio Manager to increase
significantly over the next three years. For example, from the
currently approved ICR to this one, the number of buildings being
benchmarked in Portfolio Manager is estimated to increase from
184,000 to 246,000 buildings annually. In addition, EPA made a few
program changes. The Agency terminated the Leaders Program, intends
to initiate the Tenant Recognition Program, and made minor changes
to existing collections. The $89,910 increase from Agency actions
resulted from the new Tenant Recognition Program. Participants will
be asked to obtain third-party verification of their submittal for
recognition.
$884,051
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Stephanie Klein 202
343-9144
No
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 5900-375 ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Private Sector Entities
1772ss07.doc
ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Public Sector Entities