In accordance
with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for three
years. OMB requests that the Agency update the supporting statement
to the standard 18 question format in the next ICR renewal.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
01/31/2024
36 Months From Approved
01/31/2021
332,914
0
285,627
210,306
0
254,084
5,034,450
0
10,827,727
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 publics
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, 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 greenhouse gas emissions,
including mandatory energy benchmarking and disclosure laws that
require buildings within their jurisdiction to use EPAs ENERGY STAR
Portfolio Manager. As of the end of 2018, 29 local governments and
three states rely on Portfolio Manager as the foundation for their
energy benchmarking and transparency policies. 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. As participation has
increased, EPA has taken measures to reduce the burden on
participants that take advantage of the benefits of ENERGY STAR.
For example, EPA has expanded Portfolio Manager Web Services, which
is one of several benchmarking data-entry methods available to
users. Because Web Services integrates automated data collection
and entry, it offers significant time-saving advantages over the
other methods. Over many years, EPA has seen a growing trend of
users opting for Web Services and thereby realizing these savings.
In 2009, 41% of all benchmarks were performed using Web Services.
By 2017, this had grown to 73%. In addition to expanding Web
Services, the Agency has continued to enhance other features of
Portfolio Manager, allowing participants to enter and retrieve
information more quickly. Furthermore, EPA is always looking for
ways to reduce burden and in recent years has introduced changes to
the requirements for certification that reduce both labor and cost
for applicants, without impacting the integrity of the ENERGY STAR
certification. In 2017, the ENERGY STAR program for commercial
buildings helped businesses and organizations save 160 billion
kilowatt-hours of electricity, avoid $9 billion in energy costs,
and protect the climate by achieving 110 million metric tons of
greenhouse gas reductions. On average, ENERGY STAR certified
buildings use 35% less energy than typical buildings nationwide. In
2017, the ENERGY STAR program for industrial plants helped
businesses save 34 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, avoid $3
billion in energy costs, and protect the climate by achieving 40
million metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions.
There is a decrease of 43,778
hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the
ICR currently approved by OMB. This decrease is due in part to
program enhancements and clarifications. The decrease is also due
to EPAs adjustments to its burden estimates. For example, EPA
adjusted its analysis of its online tool, Portfolio Manager, to
reflect data indicating that, although use of the tool is
increasing, users are spending less time per building benchmarked,
on average, than in the past.
$616,456
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Cynthia Veit Maia 202
564-9494
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 5900-382 ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Private Sector Entities
1772ss08_rev__10_5_2020.pdf
ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Public Sector Entities