Hats off to ENERGY STAR!  I’ve been working with this voluntary EPA/DOE program since its inception in the early 1990s as “Green Lights.”  Considering that it’s a government program with limited resources for market research and promotion, ENERGY STAR has become a star in its own right.  According to EPA’s 2006 survey:

• More than 9,000 organizations are engaged in the ENERGY STAR program, helping Americans save more than $14 billion on energy bills while avoiding the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 25 million vehicles.
  
• 68% of American households recognized the ENERGY STAR label, and 73% had a high or general understanding of the label’s purpose.
  
• Mentions of ENERGY STAR in local, regional, and national press now have an average circulation of 100 million per month.
  
• More than 3,200 buildings, representing almost 575 million square feet, have earned the ENERGY STAR label for superior energy and environmental performance based on EPA’s building rating system.
  

And that’s the part I’m interested in. ENERGY STAR has encouraged many third-party organizations to integrate their standards into a burgeoning drive towards building certification, or at least industry recognition and awards.  For instance:

• LEED-EB ® Certification – An ENERGY STAR rating of at least 67 provides two points towards certification. A rating of 75 means four points.
  
• Commercial/Corporate Real Estate - ENERGY STAR benchmarking earns one of the major points in BOMA’S 7-Point Challenge.
  
• Counties: The National Association of Counties uses the ENERGY STAR Courthouse Campaign to promote energy reduction in county courthouses.
  
• States: In his first act as chair of the National Governors Association, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced an initiative entitled "Securing a Clean Energy Future.”  Details of the program are being developed, but they may include elements of Minnesota’s “Next Generation Energy Initiative.” That program includes a goal of having 1,000 commercial buildings in the state achieve the ENERGY STAR label by 2010. 
  
• Healthcare - The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) has teamed with ENERGY STAR in the ASHE Energy Efficiency Commitment campaign, which requires benchmarking.
  

ENERGY STAR also addresses other organization’s buildings, including Higher Education, Hospitality, Industrial , K-12,  Retail, Small Business and Congregations.  See the ENERGY STAR website for more details.

As businesses and organizations try to figure out how to get their arms around their own climate footprint, I offer a starting spot.  It’s right at the blue label.

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