ENERGY STAR Evaluations
ENERGY STAR Evaluations
Your commercial building may qualify to be awarded the ENERGY STAR® label! Part of the application process requires field verification by a professional engineer (PE), which is where we come in.
ENERGY STAR® Basics
ENERGY STAR® is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). You are probably most familiar with ENERGY STAR® because of labels on refrigerators and computer monitors. In 1999, ENERGY STAR® started a new program to label commercial buildings that were in the top 25% for energy performance. Through the years, ENERGY STAR® added different building types and today all the following may qualify for labeling:
- Bank / Financial Institution
- Courthouse
- Dormitory
- Hospital (acute and children’s)
- Hotel
- K-12 School
- Medical Office
- Office
- Retail Store
- Supermarket / Grocery Store
- Warehouse (refrigerated and non-refrigerated)
One of the greatest features about ENERGY STAR® is that it is a free program! Your only cost is a professional engineer’s verification.
How to Get Started
Well before you hire a professional engineer to verify your building, you need to create a profile and enter information into the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager.
ENERGY STAR® compares your building’s performance to a peer group based on both physical and operating characteristics. Therefore, you will be required to enter in several details about your building. Physical Characteristics include building name, location and floor area in square feet. Operating Characteristics include hours of operation, rates of occupancy and number of computers. This information will later be verified by the professional engineer.
The next step is to enter past energy consumption data into the Portfolio Manager. Fuel sources include electricity, natural gas, diesel fuel, and propane. At least 12 months of data must be entered into the Portfolio Manager. This too will later be verified by the professional engineer.
Based on all the information entered, ENERGY STAR® will provide you with an energy performance rating on a scale of 1 to 100 (100 being best). Only buildings scoring a 75 or greater qualify for ENERGY STAR® labeling. These buildings represent the nation’s top 25% energy performers.
Professional Engineer Verification
If you score 75 or above, you are almost done! The last step is to have a licensed professional engineer perform the required verification. A professional engineer must verify all the information because some buildings may manipulate their data in Portfolio Manager to boost their ENERGY STAR® score.
The professional engineer will verify the building’s physical and operating characteristics during an on-site assessment of the property. The professional engineer will also look over utility bills and verify that the entire building’s consumption has been properly recorded. Any discrepancies discovered will need to be rectified before the professional engineer approves and stamps the application.
The professional engineer verification also includes a detailed assessment of the indoor environment. Why? A building can save energy by cutting back on ventilation, operating at uncomfortable temperatures, or reducing lighting levels to the detriment of the occupants.
The professional engineer will verify that the building meets industry standards for ventilation, thermal comfort and lighting. These standards include ASHRAE Standard 62.1, ASHRAE Standard 55 and the IESNA Lighting Handbook. The professional engineer must use calibrated instrumentation to measure parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, carbon dioxide and foot-candles.
Call us today at (312) 920-9393 and we’ll provide you with a custom quote.
WHAT WE DO
Industrial Hygiene
Recent Posts
PFAS Regulations and Testing: Recent Regulation Updates
In recent years, the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in our environment has become a growing concern due to their potentially adverse effects on human health and the environment. As a result, regulatory bodies and scientific communities have been actively working to establish stricter regulations and improved
Radon Detection Equipment and Methods
What is Radon? Radon, a colorless and odorless gas, is the second leading cause of lung cancer worldwide. It is a part of the radioactive decay chain of uranium. This gas seeps into homes and businesses through the ground and accumulates in enclosed spaces, posing a significant health risk
At least 7,000 people in the United States died from mold and fungal infections in 2021
According to the CDC, more than 75,000 people are hospitalized in the U.S. every year with fungal infections. At least 7,000 people died in 2021, up from just 450 in 1969. Aspergillus, a common mold found indoors, is the culprit in roughly one fifth of mold related hospitalizations and
Delaying Mold Remediation Can Lead to Health, Property, and Legal Consequences
Discovering a moisture or fungal-based issue in a property can be a distressing event. Oftentimes the repairs are costly and some property owners will defer the repair or avoid detailed inspection that might uncover greater scope of damage than is visible to the naked eye. Under scoping or delaying
Asbestos-Containing Materials in Fires Can Lead to Health and Regulatory Consequences.
Structural fires can be devastating to a property owner. Outside of the loss of possessions is the added burden of environmental hazards from fire byproducts such as soot, dioxins, or char. An environmental obstacle that is often overlooked is damaged asbestos-containing materials in the property. In today’s blog we
Environmental Impacts of Septic Tanks and Testing for Hazards
Why are Septic Systems Important? Septic systems is to take wastewater from your home and purify it so it can safely reenter the ground water system without chemicals or treatments. How do Septic Systems Work? Septic systems start with a main sewer line coming out from your home. All
How does an entire town become contaminated with asbestos dust? The story of Libby, Montana
When we think of asbestos we often think of building materials – floor tile, pipe insulation, black flooring mastic/glue, and popcorn ceilings. When it comes to abatement, teams remove or repair the broken materials along with isolating or encapsulating the area to prevent disturbance. But, what happens when an
Two overlooked communities with severe ongoing environmental pollution
Cancer rates 190x the EPA’s acceptable level and an area referred to as the ‘toxic donut’ – two overlooked communities with severe ongoing environmental pollution Major environmental disasters such as the water quality of Flint, Michigan or the wildfires in California have stood out given their media coverage in
Common deodorizing and cleaning techniques can result in dangerous levels of indoor air pollution
Why are Air Fresheners and Common Cleaning Techniques Potentially Harmful? While surface cleaning is important, deodorizing and cleaning with harsh chemicals can negatively affect indoor air quality and your health if not managed correctly.[1] Many common and sometimes unlisted ingredients used in air fresheners and surface cleaning products have
The Health Hazards of Dry Cleaning
Are you aware dry cleaning can have detrimental effects to the environment? Perchloroethylene also known as tetrachloroethylene, perc and PCE, is a solvent widely used in dry cleaning due to it not being flammable. In June of 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a revised risk evaluation of
Contact Us
We provide customized pricing for each project we perform. The first step is providing us with some background information.