5900-447 ENERGY STAR Awards Application - Raters

The simple choice for energy efficiency.

2024 ENERGY STAR^® Awards

PART 1: Partner of the Year &
Sustained Excellence Award Application

Energy Rating Companies

Award Description:

The Partner of the Year and Sustained Excellence awards for Energy Rating Companies recognizes partners that have demonstrated excellence and innovation in expanding the market for ENERGY STAR certified homes.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible for recognition, applicants must meet each of the following requirements:

• Verified at least 50 ENERGY STAR certified homes during 2023 (as either an Energy Rater, Approved Provider, or Combined Rater/Provider)¹;

• Maintained active ENERGY STAR partnership in good standing for at least one full year;

• Maintained satisfactory compliance with all applicable EPA regulations (EPA will perform a compliance/enforcement screening for each applicant as part of the application review process); and

Maintained good standing (e.g., no active or pending disciplinary actions, probations, or suspensions) with their Home Certification Organization (HCO) or Multifamily Review Organization (MRO).

To be eligible for a Sustained Excellence award, applicants must meet the above requirements AND have received a Sustained Excellence award the previous year or received a Partner of the Year award each of the past two years. Applicants meeting these requirements will be automatically considered for a Sustained Excellence award.

Application Instructions:

Please read the General Instructions which are applicable to all partner award submissions. ALL application materials must be submitted electronically through your My ENERGY STAR Account (MESA) (www.energystar.gov/mesa) using the electronic application forms provided. These materials must include:

• PART 1: Award Accomplishments Document consisting of your organization’s responses to Sections A and B of this application. (required)

• PART 2: Supporting Materials electronic samples of materials used by your organization (e.g., samples of 2023 marketing and training materials) in support of the ENERGY STAR-related activities described in Section B below. Applicants must provide supporting materials for activities in Section B. (required)

When possible, please consolidate supporting materials into one electronic file. Any materials submitted may be used by EPA in promotion of the ENERGY STAR program and will not be returned to applicants.

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

All applicants, regardless of applying for Partner of the Year or Sustained Excellence, must complete all sections of the application.

For partners in the Sustained Excellence category, to demonstrate continued innovation in the delivery of the ENERGY STAR program, please include at least one bullet in your application that highlights a new activity or initiative not included in past applications.

Selection of Award Winners:

• EPA will evaluate applications based on the information provided in response to the areas specified in Section B.

• EPA may select any number of award winners, depending on the quality of the applications received.

PART 1:
Award Accomplishments Document

Section A (Required for all applicants)

Please indicate your ENERGY STAR Energy Rating Company category (select only one):

☐ Energy Rater (working with an approved Provider or HCO for Quality Assurance)

☐ Approved Provider (acting as a Provider, performing quality assurance services exclusively to outside raters)

☐ Combined Rater/Provider (acting as both the Energy Rater and the Provider)

Organization Web Site:	Enter organization’s Web site URL here
ENERGY STAR-related Web Page(s):	Enter organization’s ENERGY STAR Web page URLs here

Please complete all fields in the table below:

Year	# of ENERGY STAR Certified Homes Verified 2 3	Percentage (%) of All Homes Verified by your Organization that Earned ENERGY STAR Certification
2023	Enter estimated # of ENERGY STAR certified homes verified in 2023	Enter estimated % of all homes verified in 2023 that earned ENERGY STAR certification
2022	Enter # of ENERGY STAR certified homes verified in 2022	Enter % of all homes verified in 2022 that earned ENERGY STAR certification

Section B (Required for all applicants)

Instructions

Complete each section using concise bullets. Successful applications will:

• Quantify your achievements (e.g., number of homes certified, number of builders recruited to join ENERGY STAR as new/returning partners, number of trainings delivered)

• Specify annual and cumulative achievements within a given timeframe (e.g., verified 100 homes for ENERGY STAR certification in 2023, for a total of 1,000 homes since 2008)

• Include electronic samples of supporting materials used in support of the ENERGY STAR-related activities described below. Applicants are required to submit at least one supporting material for at least one of the activities described below. (required)

• Highlight what sets your organization apart

• Tell a positive story about how you achieved new heights or rose to new challenges

1. Promoting ENERGY STAR Recruitment and Retention (Maximum of 5 points):

In the space below, use concise bullets to describe how your organization directly contributed to maintaining or increasing ENERGY STAR participation by builders and/or Energy Rating Companies in 2023. Include descriptions of unique challenges or barriers that you faced in achieving these successes. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Recruiting new builders into the ENERGY STAR program (include builder name and # of homes represented)

• Assisting builders in increasing the proportion of their homes that earn ENERGY STAR or moving to make a 100% commitment to building ENERGY STAR certified homes (include builder name, before and after percentages, and number of certified homes represented)

• Helping builders stay in the ENERGY STAR program in the face of challenges (e.g., transitions to new versions of the program, changes in utility incentive programs, or organizational mergers).

	Example - Worked with ABC Builder to increase their percentage of ENERGY STAR certified homes from 50% to 75%, representing a difference of 700 additional certified homes in 2023.
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2. Assisting Builders in Meeting ENERGY STAR Program Requirements (Maximum of 5 points):

In the space below, use concise bullets to describe how your organization directly assisted builders in meeting ENERGY STAR program requirements in 2023. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying cost effective solutions to achieve greater energy efficiency

• Identifying innovative approaches for improving verification workflow (e.g., improvements in scheduling and reporting)

• Assisting builders with incorporating emerging technologies and advanced building practices

• Providing technical support and training to builders and/or Energy Rating Companies (for Approved Providers)

• Centralizing HVAC design services for builders

• Developing quality management plans for builders

	Example – Provided technical training and support to three builder partners to help them meet ENERGY STAR requirements, including understanding ENERGY STAR compliance and program updates and building in varying climate zones.
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ENERGY STAR^® is the simple choice for energy efficiency. For 25 years, EPA’s ENERGY STAR program has been America’s resource for saving energy and protecting the environment. Join the millions already making a difference at energystar.gov.

ENERGY STAR^® is the simple choice for energy efficiency. For 25 years, EPA’s ENERGY STAR program has been America’s resource for saving energy and protecting the environment. Join the millions already making a difference at energystar.gov.

3. Assisting Builders with Homebuyer Education⁴ (Maximum of 5 points):

In the space below, use concise bullets to describe your organization’s efforts in 2023 to assist builders in increasing homebuyer awareness of, and demand for, ENERGY STAR certified homes. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Developing ENERGY STAR-related marketing collateral (printed materials, online content, social media content, etc.)

• Delivering ENERGY STAR training to builders’ sales agents and/or real estate professionals

  	Example – Trained a total of ten sales staff for five builders on an ongoing basis to talk about the features and benefits of ENERGY STAR certified homes to customers.
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• Providing ENERGY STAR marketing materials for builder open house events

Applicants must provide electronic documentation of all relevant materials used for this activity. Please organize your Supporting Materials in a single consolidated PDF file and/or provide web hyperlinks.

4. Implementing Innovative Quality Assurance Approaches (Maximum of 5 points):

In the space below, use concise bullets to describe any innovative quality assurance approaches that your organization applied to ENERGY STAR certified homes in 2023. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Using new tools and technology (such as digital field data collection tools, geo-tagged inspection reports, and remote or video-based QA)

• Providing ongoing quality assurance feedback through non-traditional mechanisms (e.g., Peer-to-Peer QA)

• Providing in-house training beyond minimum Continuing Education requirements

• Conducting field or file QA at a frequency higher than required by minimum standards

	Example – Developed a new technology solution to streamline our ENERGY STAR inspection and reporting process through a hand-held, cloud-based platform.
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5. Demonstrating Industry Leadership with ENERGY STAR (Bonus):

In the space below, use concise bullets to describe your organization’s efforts in 2023 to be an industry leader for the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Delivering ENERGY STAR information at industry conferences and meetings

• Engaging with code officials, utilities, and green building programs regarding ENERGY STAR

• Sharing ENERGY STAR information/knowledge with other Energy Rating Companies

• Delivering ENERGY STAR presentations/trainings for utilities

Applicants must provide electronic documentation of all relevant materials used for this activity. Please organize your Supporting Materials in a single consolidated PDF file and/or provide web hyperlinks.

	Example – Participated in a meeting with other Energy Rating Companies to present information to our local utility about preparing builders for the roll-out of Version 3.1 in our state.
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Prepare/Gather Remaining Documents for Upload

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.

1 Applicants should make their best estimate of the expected number of homes to be verified for ENERGY STAR certification during calendar year 2023. EPA will confirm the final actual number of reported homes prior to selecting award winners. Partners that do not meet the eligibility criteria for this award category, but have demonstrated significant efforts in communicating the value of ENERGY STAR certified homes and apartments, may apply for consideration to receive an Excellence in ENERGY STAR Marketing Award instead.

2 For organizations that are exclusively an Approved Provider (acting as a Provider, performing quality assurance services exclusively to outside raters), use the number of home ratings processed on behalf of Energy Raters rather than number of homes verified.

3 Applicants should make their best projection of the expected number of homes to be verified for ENERGY STAR certification for 2023. EPA will confirm the final actual number of reported homes during the review process, prior to selecting award winners.

4 If you are submitting an application as a Quality Assurance Provider, this part does not apply and can be skipped.

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OMB Control No.: 2060-0586

OMB Control Expiration Date: 01-24-2024

EPA Form No.: 5900-447