June 11, 2004—To reduce the air pollution caused by commercial building energy use, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expanding the ENERGY STAR program to include new commercial buildings by encouraging the design of energy-efficient buildings. Architecture firms will now be able to distinguish buildings that have been designed to be among the most efficient buildings in the country as “Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR.”
A building design will be eligible for the new designation if the building is expected to qualify for the ENERGY STAR label once in operation. The ENERGY STAR is EPA’s designation for superior energy performance. Buildings that have been in operation for at least one year qualify for the ENERGY STAR by scoring 75 or higher on EPA’s 100-point national energy rating scale.
EPA finds that newly constructed buildings are not significantly more efficient than buildings constructed years ago. With this new designation, EPA hopes to call attention to building design practices that are expected to deliver high quality and energy efficient commercial building space.
Commercial buildings alone emit about 20 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Existing buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR label use about 40 percent less energy than average buildings, without compromising comfort or services, says EPA. They also conserve natural gas.
To learn more about ENERGY STAR, which was introduced in 1992 and is now featured on products in more than 40 categories, visit EPA/ENERGY STAR.
