ENERGY STAR Real Estate Workshop Series

ENERGY STAR’s free online workshop series enables commercial real estate professionals to expand their skill sets and learn best practices. Select from the titles below to view a session description and register.

Commercial Real Estate Benchmarking with EPA’s Portfolio Manager

This 90-minute training teaches you how to use US EPA’s energy performance rating system within Portfolio Manager to benchmark the energy performance of your office space. Use this Web-based analytical tool to track the energy consumption of your commercial real estate portfolio. You will learn how to collect and input relevant energy consumption data and how to interpret the Energy Performance Rating, used to compare energy performance against a national building stock and within your own portfolio. You will also learn how top performers can apply for the prestigious ENERGY STAR label. (Private Portfolio Manger trainings can also be provided to partner organizations.)

Who should attend:

  • Property Managers
  • Energy Managers
  • Engineers
  • Environmental Managers
  • Organizational Leaders interested in learning more about energy performance benchmarking

Register — Select “Commercial Real Estate Benchmark Training”

Best Practices to Improve Energy Performance in Commercial Buildings

This training is an update to the popular Commercial Real Estate Best Practices training that has been offered by ENERGY STAR since 2004, containing new, improved content developed with input from leading ENERGY STAR partners. The training covers proven strategies for improving the energy performance of office buildings, beginning with best practices in operations and maintenance (O&M) and continuing on to cost-effective changes to equipment and systems. Participants will learn to recognize the wide variety of energy-efficiency opportunities that are available at their properties, including procedures to better manage the energy consumption associated with lighting, plug loads, the building envelope, and HVAC systems and controls. Estimated energy savings, financial paybacks, and examples are discussed throughout the training. It is strongly recommended that participants have an understanding of ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and have benchmarked their buildings’ energy performance prior to attending; however, all are welcome.

Who should attend:

  • Office Building Owners
  • Property Managers
  • Building Engineers

Register — Select “Best Practices to Improve Energy Performance in Commercial Buildings”

Medical Office Building Benchmarking with Portfolio Manager

Is energy waste cutting into your profits? Energy is the largest operating expense (about 30 percent) for medical office buildings and represents a significant opportunity for cost savings. EPA has expanded its national energy performance rating system, which is now available for acute care, children’s hospitals, and medical office buildings.

EPA’s rating tool enables organizations to:

  • Compare performance to industry peers,
  • Set a baseline and performance goals,
  • Determine investment priorities across a portfolio,
  • Verify upgrade savings, and
  • Receive federal recognition for superior performance.

Property managers, energy managers, and organizational leaders will learn how to:

  • Collect and input relevant energy consumption data,
  • Interpret the Energy Performance Rating, and
  • Apply for the prestigious ENERGY STAR label.

Register — Select “Medical Office Building Benchmarking”

Monthly Web Networking Conferences

The Monthly Web Conferences explore a different energy management topic each month and feature presentations by ENERGY STAR Partners. Hearing real case studies from your peers is the best way to find out what is working and what is not working in facility best practices. Also, the open format of these conferences allows participants to interact with peers they would never otherwise have the opportunity to meet. The Web conferences are an excellent way to learn what leading energy management programs are doing without having to leave your office! Sessions are typically offered on the third Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. EST. Some past topics have included:

  • Setting Performance Goals
  • Training and Motivating Staff
  • Sub-metering for Strategic Energy Management
  • Identifying Projects and Creating Action Plans

If you have an idea for a web networking conference, let us know! We would love to have you join us as a speaker on our next call!

Who should attend:

  • Facility and Energy Managers
  • Environmental Managers
  • Organizational Leaders
  • Investor Relations staff

Register — Select “ENERGY STAR Monthly Web Conference”

Multifamily Benchmarking with EPA's Portfolio Manager

In this training, you will learn how EPA's Portfolio Manager can help you evaluate the energy performance of multifamily buildings you own or manage. This training will cover creating a user account, identifying data requirements, managing and sharing information, and establishing an energy use intensity indicator. This metric serves as a benchmark to compare the energy performance of your building against itself and against other properties you own or manage. You will also learn how to use Portfolio Manager to track water performance and greenhouse gas emissions associated with your property’s energy use. From a portfolio perspective, Portfolio Manager will provide valuable information for making decisions regarding investments in energy and water efficiency, developing energy management plans, and measuring improvement over time.

Who should attend:

  • Property Managers
  • Energy Managers
  • Engineers/Maintenance Supervisors

Register — Select “Multifamily Benchmarking with EPA's Portfolio Manager”

Purchasing and Procurement

Purchasing products with the ENERGY STAR label can substantially reduce your organization’s energy use and costs. This 60-minute training session covers (1) EPA support to help your organization purchase products with superior energy performance; (2) guidelines that define energy performance for numerous products; (3) sample procurement language for stipulating energy performance attributes to vendors; (4) lists of ENERGY STAR labeled products; and (5) energy savings software that calculates the life cycle costs of ENERGY STAR products and their less efficient counterparts.

Register — Select “Purchasing and Procurement”

PC Power Management

This 60-minute presentation describes an ENERGY STAR offering that is helping organizations realize the substantial energy and financial savings available from computer and monitor power management. This training introduces an innovative software tool that enables monitor power management from a central location, as well as education outreach material. Organizations utilizing this free software (which may be downloaded from the Web) can save $10 to $50 per computer.

Register — Select “PC Power Management”