About "Tenant Star"

tenants working on making their space energy efficient

EPA is excited to be working on new ENERGY STAR recognition for energy-efficient tenant spaces! Under legislation passed in April 2015, EPA plans to introduce recognition for energy-efficient design and construction, as well as for efficient operation of tenant spaces.

Recognition for designing and constructing energy-efficient tenant spaces

To help ensure that this recognition is awarded in an objective and consistent way, EPA is examining potential criteria and options for assessment. A key source of information is the April 2016 Department of Energy feasibility study (PDF, 883 KB) called for in the legislation.

On October 5, 2016, EPA released a proposal for recognizing efficient office tenant spaces at the design and construction phase and gathered comments from commercial building tenants, landlords, managers, service providers, and others. While we are continuing to carefully review the many comments received and investigating the technical questions and possibilities they raise, we can affirm that EPA remains focused on the same basic set of criteria listed in the proposal, namely:

  • Estimate Energy Use
  • Meter
  • Light Efficiently
  • Share Data
  • Purchase Efficient Products

EPA is working through the technical details of the criteria, how applicants can demonstrate achievement as simply as possible, and how ENERGY STAR can most cost-effectively manage review of applications and award the recognition to eligible tenants.

We will update this page throughout 2017 as we determine next steps for the recognition. 

Recognition for occupying tenant space efficiently

New recognition based on energy use in occupied tenant spaces will take several years longer, as it relies on data to be collected by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Together, EIA and EPA are exploring currently available data, gathering information on energy data-based tenant programs in the United States and abroad, and planning for the collection of additional U.S. data for tenant spaces over the coming years.

As with the development of ENERGY STAR scores for whole buildings, EPA will rigorously assess and analyze the data once it is available. Designing a tenant recognition based on an objective and reliable measure of energy efficiency will take several years, but it’s a worthy endeavor that can help reduce U.S. emissions and recognize environmental leadership among tenants.

Don’t wait – start saving today!

Luckily, you don’t have to wait to enjoy the benefits of efficient tenant spaces! Learn what you can do today by exploring the tabs above.