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 publicâs 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 governmentâs approach to energy management. In addition, the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015 includes âTenant Star,â 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 EPAâs 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 EPAâs adjustments to its estimates of the publicâs use of Portfolio Manager, EPAâs 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
Reginfo record details
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 5900-19 ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Public Sector Entities
1772ss07.doc
ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Public Sector Entities