ENERGY STAR

What is ENERGY STAR®?
Why should I care?
How does it work?
What does it cost?

It is a national symbol of energy efficiency created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. Since 1999, ENERGY STAR® has labeled existing commercial buildings in the top 25% of energy performance. Because ENERGY STAR® is a government program, it is FREE other than the required professional engineering verification.

ENERGY STAR® is the most recognized national symbol for energy efficiency. If you would like to set your building apart from others and demonstrate your commitment to the environment, ENERGY STAR® labeling is a great and low-cost option.

Many commercial building tenants want the prestige of being in an ENERGY STAR® labeled building. Being labeled helps attract and retain tenants. Many communities demand their schools and government buildings lead the way and achieve ENERGY STAR® labeling.

Here are some other great reasons to go ENERGY STAR:

It’s Easy! You may not need to make any changes in order to get labeled
Your local jurisdiction may have an incentive program
You can benchmark your building’s performance and compare it to a peer group of similar buildings
Become a community leader by demonstrating your commitment to the environment

Data Entry into Portfolio Manager
To get started, you must enter 11 months of energy consumption data into ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager. You’ll also need to enter in detailed information about your building such as gross square footage and hours of operation. The Portfolio Manager will then compare your building to the energy performance of similar buildings and provide you with an ENERGY STAR® score. Scoring a 75 out of 100 (or above) qualifies you for ENERGY STAR® labeling. This indicates that your building is in the top 25% for energy performance. If you don’t quite reach a score of 75, Indoor Sciences can help you identify energy saving measures to raise your score.
Professional Engineer Verification
Although the ENERGY STAR® program is free, it does require field verification by a professional engineer. That’s where Indoor Sciences can help. We will verify that all energy use and building characteristics are accurately accounted for and reported. Indoor Sciences will also take measurements throughout the property to confirm compliance with indoor environmental standards. Measurements include ventilation, thermal comfort and lighting to ensure that energy performance was not achieved by compromising the indoor environment. Indoor Sciences will sign and stamp your application as required and provide you with a report and supporting documentation.
Display your plaque!
You mail in your stamped application to ENERGY STAR® and wait for your plaque!

As a program of the US government, ENERGY STAR is free. However, it does require a professional engineer to review the application and perform a detailed field assessment and verification. Indoor Sciences’ pricing is based on the square footage of the building. Here is Indoor Sciences’ standard pricing:

Less than 500,000 SF: $2,000
500,000 – 1 million SF: $2,500
Greater than 1 million SF: $3,000

*The ENERGY STAR® logo is a registered service mark of the USEPA and does not represent USEPA endorsement of our services.