Sustainability is an important and tangible concern for everyone involved in buildings, from the owners and staff down to the tenants themselves. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and ENERGY STAR® have released resources showing how buildings can save resources, time, and money. These resources are all free and available online. There are myriad ways to save, here are a few resources to help. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government. The EPA began its work on Dec. 2nd, 1970 under President Nixon. The EPA employs scientists, engineers, legal experts, public affairs specialists, environmental protection experts, and more. Through the efforts and research of these professionals, the EPA regularly releases resources to assist in sustainability efforts. Below are a few of these resources: 

• EPA Guidance Documents, this page provides a hub for all EPA guidance documents, from policy statements, bulletins, advisories, interpretive memoranda, and manuals. 

• EPA Organization Chart, need to speak with a member of the EPA? This resource provides the regional office for your area as well as their phone number. 
• EPA’s eGRID – How clean is your electricity? Profiles by Regions, this resource details how your local energy grid produces energy.  
• GHG Emission Factors Hub, the GHG Emission Factors Hub provides an easy-to-use set of default emission factors for reporting organization greenhouse gas emissions. 
• Information for Owners and Managers of Buildings that Contain Asbestos, this page provides guidance on the federal requirements surrounding asbestos, including renovations, demolitions, and operations and maintenance for asbestos-containing materials in buildings. 

Department of Energy 

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is a federal cabinet-level department which manages the United States’ energy conservation, energy-related research, domestic energy production, nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production, and radioactive waste disposal. The DOE was formed through The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 on Aug. 4, 1977, under President Carter.  

The original goal of the DOE was to promote energy conservation and the development of alternative energy sources, and the DOE releases resources in a number of energy related fields. Below you will find a few of their resources: 

• Energy Sources | Department of Energy, this resource hub can help explain different forms of energy as well as the way that energy is stored and distributed. 
• Better Buildings Solution Center, the Better Buildings Initiative (BBI) Solution Center is an excellent showcase focusing on proven solutions for energy and water efficiency in buildings.   

• 2021 BBI Progress Report, the BBI releases progress reports each year detailing the leadership, innovation, and solutions demonstrated by the 950+ Better Buildings partners. 

• Energy Management and Information Systems Primer, this primer details different types of EMIS as defined by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 

• EERE Publication and Product Library, the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy regularly publishes their findings on to this resource hub.  

• Energy Savings Forecast of Solid-State Lighting in General Illumination Applications, the EERE publishes a report on the state of solid-state lighting biennially to show how much energy SSLs can save.  

• Building Technologies Office, the DOE Building Technologies Office (BTO) works to encourage the use of cost-effective technologies, techniques, tools, and services. This page gives access to their resources and upcoming events.  

ENERGY STAR® 

ENERGY STAR® is a program to certify energy efficiency backed by the United States Government. This incredibly important and effective program came about in 1992 when it was established under President Clinton. The EPA manages the ENERGY STAR® program, while the DOE manages Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®  and provides technical support. ENERGY STAR® regularly publishes resources, webinars, and research. A selection of these resources can be found below: 

• Commercial Buildings Tools and Resources, Resources by Audience, Resources by Topic, these page collate all the tools, webinars, case studies, and many other resources published by ENERGY STAR®. 
• Trainings: Live Webinars, Recordings, and PowerPoint Presentations by Topic, how do you use the ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager? What are the most efficient manufacturers doing? These topics and more are covered in the many presentations and documents provided on this page. 
• DataTrends Research, DataTrends are free reports made by the EPA using data from ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager. These reports cover topics such as energy savings, water use tracking, energy use benchmarking, and more. 

• COVID-19 Specific Resources: 

• How has COVID affected ENERGY STAR certification?, updated August 2021 
• Which use details should be updated to reflect changes in operations due to COVID? , updated March 2021 

• Energy Information Administration – Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), while not directly released by ENERGY STAR®, the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) CBECS data is the basis for ENERGY STAR® Scores and building certifications. The 2018 CBECS report is available now. 
• Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Tracking in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager, this resource describes how to track and report greenhouse gases in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager.  

• How to Benchmark Onsite Renewable in Portfolio Manager, this guide details how to accurately measure and track onsite renewable electricity in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager 
• Tenant Space Recognition, this page details the new ENERGY STAR® Tenant Space program for sustainability efforts in leased office space 
• Sign up for the ENERGY STAR® Mailing List, want to stay up to date on everything ENERGY STAR® is doing? Signing up for their mailing list is the best way to stay in the know.  

For further resources, please check this State-by-State Resource Locator. This resource locator is maintained by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences and is funded by the EPA. These resources cover a wide range of topics, from asbestos and other hazardous waste to green buildings and lead paint abatements. These resources provided by the EPA, DOE, and ENERGY STAR®  are a great way to learn more about United States energy programs, as well as the many ways you can save. 

See the entire library of ENERGY STAR® videos and articles in our 2021 ENERGY STAR® Content Guide.

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