5900-444 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award Application f

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
About the Award
The ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Energy Management award recognizes partner organizations that
have built effective energy management programs, demonstrated partnership with ENERGY STAR, and have
proven strong energy performance during the past year. The award is the first level of organizational
recognition. Once an organization demonstrates continuous superior energy performance, typically through the
achievement of two to three consecutive Partner of the Year awards, they may be elevated to Sustained
Excellence – Energy Management at the discretion of EPA.
If your organization was awarded ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence – Energy Management in either of the
past two years, please download and complete the relevant Sustained Excellence application instead.

Eligibility:
ENERGY STAR partners that can demonstrate continuous improvement in energy performance of buildings
and plants through an organization-wide energy program are eligible to apply. Please remember to review
the General Instructions before completing this part of your application.

Description:
This award recognizes businesses and organizations that demonstrate their commitment to environmental
protection through superior energy management, particularly by integrating and promoting ENERGY STAR
tools and resources within their energy management program.
Winning applications must clearly show the organizations’ commitment to and success in achieving superior energy
management as well as their active participation in and promotion of ENERGY STAR along with energy savings.

Criteria:
The 2023 ENERGY STAR Awards are based on work completed and energy savings demonstrated during
the past 12 months. Selected accomplishments outside of this time period may be mentioned for reference in
your application to demonstrate continuous improvement but will not be considered as evidence of meeting
award requirements in 2022. Previous Partner of the Year award winners with evidence of continuous
improvement will automatically be considered by EPA for the Sustained Excellence award but should still
complete this Partner of the Year Energy Management application until informed by EPA to do otherwise.
Be aware that EPA will refer to material in applications in its promotion of winners’ achievements. Please do
not include confidential data in an application. Applications citing or including confidential business
information will NOT be evaluated.

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EPA Form No. 5900-444

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
PART 1: Award Accomplishments Document
(use the following information to create a Word or PDF file)
Accomplishments Narrative (Part 1):
Part 1 of the award application consists of four sections which form the accomplishments narrative:
Section 1 – ENERGY STAR Participation at a Glance (does not count toward page limit)
A. Commercial Building Partners
B. Industrial Partners
Section 2 – Energy Management Practices
A – C. Narrative response
Section 3 – Communication Strategies
A – C. Narrative response
D. Samples of creative work that include ENERGY STAR
Section 4 – Demonstration of Energy Savings
A. Commercial Building Partners – Summary of results from POY report generated in Portfolio
Manager
B. Industrial Partners – Completed savings table, summary of results, explanation of results and
savings equivalency statement
The application must be no longer than 9 pages (not including supporting files); applicants are encouraged to
provide their information succinctly and to tell their energy management story clearly. There are no penalties for
submitting applications shorter than the 9-page limit. The application should use a minimum of 12-point black
font and margins must be no less than 1 inch on all sides. Pages that exceed the limit will not be evaluated.

Supporting Files (Part 2):
Applicants are encouraged to submit electronic copies of supplemental materials that support the application if
these are clearly referenced within the narrative. Supplemental materials will not count toward the 9-page
narrative limit, but must be directly relevant to energy management, your application, and/or ENERGY
STAR. Each applicant must submit at least one item in PART 2: Supporting Materials for an application to
be accepted by the MESA system. (required)

Evaluation:
The application is evaluated based on the equal weighting of each section below. Evaluation will focus on your
detailed description of the 2022 accomplishments and how the required criteria have been met.

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EPA Form No. 5900-444

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
Section 1 – ENERGY STAR Participation at a Glance
Please complete one of the following tables to quantify your activity in key ENERGY STAR initiatives. There
are separate tables for commercial (including institutional) building partners and industrial (manufacturing)
partners. All values entered should be for the past twelve months through the date of application submittal. A
number or N/A must be entered in all fields; do not leave any fields blank.

A. Commercial Building Partners
(Note: Cut and paste this table into your accomplishments narrative for editing. The table does not count toward
the page limit.)

Building Portfolio

Response

Number of buildings owned/managed/occupied
Number of new buildings constructed
What percentage of your total property portfolio in the United States is
benchmarked in Portfolio Manager? (If your response is less than 100%, please
provide an explanation in your narrative.)
How many office spaces does your organization occupy in the United States in
multi-tenant buildings?

Benchmarking

Response

Portfolio Manager Benchmarking in the past 12 months
‒

Energy (# of buildings, scored or unscored)

‒

Water (# of buildings)

‒

Waste (# of buildings)

Other Benchmarking (explain)

ENERGY STAR Recognition in the past 12 months
Total Number of ENERGY STAR Building Certifications
–

First-time

‒

Re-certified

Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR (for new construction)
ENERGY STAR Tenant Space (for your organization’s leased offices)

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EPA Form No. 5900-444

Response

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
B. Industrial Partners (NAICS 21, 31-33)
(Note: Cut and paste this table into your accomplishments narrative for editing. The table does not count toward
the page limit.)

Benchmarking the Portfolio

Response

Number of plants that can be benchmarked using ENERGY STAR plant energy
performance indicators (EPI) (i.e., if there is an EPI available)
Number of plants that have been benchmarked over past 12 months using
ENERGY STAR plant energy performance indicators
Number of plants benchmarked over past 12 months by other means
Number of buildings benchmarked in Portfolio Manager in past 12 months
What types of facilities are you benchmarking with Portfolio Manager? (list type,
e.g., warehouse, office, etc.)

ENERGY STAR Recognition in the past 12 months
Total number of ENERGY STAR Plant Certifications
Number of Sites Achieving Challenge for Industry
Number of Sites Taking the Challenge for Industry
Is company an active participant in an ENERGY STAR Industry Focus? (Y/N)
Number of ENERGY STAR Treasure Hunts recorded with the Find the Treasure
Campaign and carbon and energy savings identified in these hunts
Carbon and energy savings achieved from implementing findings of Treasure
Hunts

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EPA Form No. 5900-444

Response

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
Section 2 – Energy Management Practices
In this section of the application, you will describe the practices employed by your organization to manage and
reduce energy use. These include long-term strategies, management practices, innovative technologies, costeffective upgrades, data-driven enhancements to systems or processes, or other actions implemented at the
corporate or organization level to improve performance.
A. Describe your organization’s energy management program, detailing its main elements in
comparison to the ENERGY STAR Guidelines for Energy Management. For example, in discussing
goals, describe how goals were set, their scope, and the process that was followed to define them.In
addition to explaining how you manage energy across your organization, incorporate information on:
a. How you integrate ENERGY STAR into your energy management program;
b. How ENERGY STAR recognition opportunities and tools and resources contribute to
your program’s achievements;
c. How you have improved your energy program through the inclusion of new program elements; and
d. If applicable, how you’ve incorporated energy equity and environmental justice considerations into
your energy program.
B. Discuss key projects and initiatives over the past 12 months that have led to your energy
program’s success. Provide at least three to four good examples that represent your work.
Include a description of your organization’s energy efficiency investment strategy.
C. Share your long-term strategies around energy management. Explain your organization’s motivation
for energy management, the factorsthat may impact or alter strategic direction in the future, and how
your strategy incorporates planning for these factors.

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EPA Form No. 5900-444

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
Section 3 – Communication Strategies
ENERGY STAR Award winners are expected to promote the program to audiences that stand to benefit from
ENERGY STAR resources. Successful applications include initiatives designed to reach both external and
internal audiences and excel beyond a simple list of outreach tactics. For this application, external audiences
are stakeholder groups outside your organization, such as shareholders, guests, students, the local
community, etc., and internal audiences are defined as those within your organization, such as employees.
A. Please describe your organization’s top communications initiatives for promoting ENERGY STAR
in the past 12 months. Address the following for each major communication initiative in your
response. All initiatives should heavily integrate ENERGY STAR messaging and leverage the
ENERGY STAR brand:
•

Goals of the outreach: What were the goals for outreach to your audiences?

•

Target audiences: Which audiences did you target and why?

•

Metrics: What metrics did you identify to track for measuring your success?

•

Tactics and materials: What tactics and supporting materials did you use to implement
your strategy and reach target audiences?

•

2022 accomplishments, including measured results: What did your
communications achieve? How many people did you reach?

B. Describe your participation in ENERGY STAR activities, such as:
•

Displaying the ENERGY STAR prominently at certified buildings and plants

•

Hosting a competition using ENERGY STAR resources

•

Hosting and promoting ENERGY STAR Treasure Hunts

•

Participating in local or regional ENERGY STAR-related programs

•

Helping to develop ENERGY STAR success stories

•

Identifying and promoting energy equity and environmental justice best practices

C. Propose a webinar your organization could present to ENERGY STAR stakeholders to support
dissemination of energy management best practices. Each year, EPA hosts a Partner of the Year
Award winner webinar series which highlights the best practices, lessons learned, and innovations of
a select group of award winners. All applicants must propose at least one webinar title, possible

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EPA Form No. 5900-444

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
speaker(s) and titles, and a short description of a webinar your organization would be willing to deliver
in 2023 if requested. EPA will select approximately 5-10 to deliver in 2023 from those submitted by all
award winners. If your webinar is selected, EPA will work with your organization to refine and finalize
the webinar content, timing, and participants.
D. Please tell the stories that accompany your communications. Provide samples of your work such
as advertisements, news stories, posters, articles, press releases, photos of the ENERGY STAR
decal/ flag/banner in prominent locations, and other creative materials. Please highlight any
shareable online content, such as videos, social media activity, dedicated web pages, energysaving guidance promoted online, etc.

NOTE:

Supplemental materials submitted should reflect a sampling of an organization’s strongest examples of
external and internal communications related to promoting their partnership and achievements with
ENERGY STAR. These materials should be submitted electronically with the application and include proper
use of the ENERGY STAR logo in accord with the ENERGY STAR Brand Book.

Also, do not submit entire PowerPoint presentations where just a few slides are relevant to this application,
but, rather, excerpts of slide sets where ENERGY STAR was highlighted. Reduce the length of attachments
to show the strongest examples and make an application more compelling. To limit the size of attachments,
some applicants have found it helpful to prepare a slide set with multiple examples of outreach included on
just a few slides.

Section 4 – Demonstration of Energy Savings
This section of the application focuses on actual energy performance improvements achieved by your
organization during the past year. Your application will be judged on both the magnitude of your improvements
in the past 12 months, as well as your current energy performance relative to your peers.
While 2022 savings are the focus of this section, you also are encouraged to report and illustrate the
cumulative accomplishments of your efforts (e.g., dollars saved since program began, total energy saved since
“x date in the past,” etc.) When highlighting cumulative accomplishments, include a timeframe for the longerterm accomplishments (e.g., saved $3 million in 2022 and more than $10 million since 2001).
Please note that commercial and institutional building partners will respond to section A only, and industrial
partners will respond to section B only.

A. Commercial Building Partners
•

All Commercial (including Institutional) Building Partners must copy and paste the summary table from
the POY Report from Portfolio Manager in this section to show organization-wide performance. This
POY Report must be generated for the period ending August 2022 or later. Additional guidance for

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EPA Form No. 5900-444

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
generating this report can be found at www.energystar.gov/awards.
•

It is helpful to EPA to understand changes in business activity that may have impacted energy use in
the past 12-month period. Provide an explanation when appropriate.

B. Industrial Partners (NAICS 21, 31-33)
The entire table must be included in your narrative. Please provide a summary of your organization-wide
energy performance and copy the completed table into your narrative. If your company’s energy program is
global, you may choose to include all operations worldwide or only the operations in the U.S. Please identify
whether the information you share is U.S. only or global. Please be sure to use the proper units and intensities
as stated in the table.
(Note: Cut and paste this table into your Accomplishments document for editing
1. Number of facilities tracked and benchmarked by plant type *
2. Total number of facilities operated by plant type
3. Total output, in units, which apply to the business of your company
and correlate with energy usage, e.g., ft2,
tons of a specific product, etc. for 2022**
4. Aggregate energy intensity for 2022** in MMBtu/total output
5. Aggregate energy intensity for the corresponding period in 2021 in
MMBtu/total output
6. Change in energy intensity (#4-#5)
7. Aggregate energy intensity for the corresponding period in an earlier
year*** in MMBtu/total output
8. Change in energy intensity (#4 - #7)
*

Plant type refers to the primary process used or product produced by the plant, e.g., auto assembly, metal casting; cement; etc.

** Calculate using 12 months of continuous data. Due to the deadline for this application, it is acceptable to complete the 12month period using data from the final months in 2021, e.g., the data period could be from November 2021 through October
2022.
*** Selection of the specific year is at your discretion. If 2021 and 2022 represent the first years for which energy was tracked,
please enter “not available” in rows 7 and 8.

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EPA Form No. 5900-444

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
Lines 7 and 8 in the table are requested to enable a view of your energy program’s long-term energy savings.
To further illustrate these long-term savings, you may provide equivalent dollars saved along with carbon
dioxide emissions prevented for the equivalent period.
You may provide a summary report from your corporate tracking system that includes this information. In
addition to the information above, if ENERGY STAR has provided your industry with a plant Energy
Performance Indicator (EPI), please provide ratings for each plant you have scored in the past year. If scores
have improved over time for a plant, show that information as well. Additionally, provide results and
accomplishments of plants taking the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry.
It is helpful to EPA to understand changes in business activity that may have impacted energy use in the past
12-month period. Provide an explanation when appropriate. In addition, describe any efforts to normalize data,
such as accounting for weather, climate differences, or other business effects.
In your summary, please provide one or more equivalency statements for your energy savings by equating
them to a metric related to your business or industry, or other financial or environmental metrics.
Examples include:
•

Number of socks that would have to be sold to equal the value of energy saved

•

Number of cars that would have to be sold to equal the value of energy saved

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EPA Form No. 5900-444

2023 ENERGY STAR® Awards

OMB Control No. 2060-0347
OMB Expiration Date: 01-31-2024

PART 1: Partner of the Year Award Application

Energy Management
Prepare/Gather Documents for Upload
PART 1: Accomplishments Document
(in Word or PDF)

PART 2: Supporting Materials
(at least one required, as described in the Application Instructions above)

PART 3: Organization’s High-Resolution Logo
(required)

ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and
unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions.

The public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 14 hours per respons e.
Send comments on the Agency’s need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested
methods for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of automated collection techniques, to the Director, Collection
Strategies Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2822T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., 20460.
Include the OMB control number in any correspondence. Do not send the completed form to this address.

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EPA Form No. 5900-444