ENERGY STAR recognizes superior performance
in buildings and organizations, helping individuals,
businesses and public organizations save money. Results
are already adding up. Americans, with the help of ENERGY
STAR, saved enough energy in 2005 alone to avoid greenhouse
gas emissions equivalent to those from 23 million cars,
all while saving $12 billion on their utility bills.
ENERGY STAR in Texas
Texas is home to more than 800 companies and public entities participating in ENERGY STAR, about
10% of which are small businesses; and consumers can purchase ENERGY STAR qualified products at some 1,400 locations across the
state. More than 2,600 buildings (over 500 million square feet) in Texas have been rated for energy
efficiency using EPA’s energy performance rating system. This represents about 10% of all buildings
that have been rated nationwide. Homeowners are benefiting too, as about 200,000 Texas homes have earned the ENERGY STAR. For additional information see this article on how Texas is saving money while protecting our environment.
Texas One of 15 States Leading the Nation in Energy Star Homes July 2007
In 15 states, more than 12% of new homes are meeting Energy Star standards, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Nearly 200,000 new homes nationwide earned the Energy Star in 2006, bringing the total number of Energy Star-qualified homes across the nation to nearly 750,000. To date, these homes have locked in annual savings of more than $180 million for homeowners by saving over 1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and 100 million therms of natural gas. To earn the Energy Star, homes must be independently verified to be least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code. They must also include additional energy-saving features, which typically make them 20% to 30% more efficient than standard homes.
The following are a few of ENERGY STAR's outstanding
programs:
PRODUCTS
HOMES
BUILDINGS
NEWS
ENERGY STAR NEWS
National “Change a Light, Change the World” Campaign
How many light bulbs does it take to change the world? Only one, but it has to be the right kind, according to the Department of Energy. The EPA and the DOE kicked off their "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign at a skyscraper famous for its lights -- the Empire State Building. The focal point of the campaign is an ENERGY STAR Change a Light pledge where consumers pledge to replace at least one standard light bulb in their home with an ENERGY STAR ® qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). See this Energy Star web page on CFL light bulbs. |
PRODUCTS
ENERGY
STAR Qualified Products
ENERGY STAR provides a trustworthy label on over 40 product categories (and thousands of models) for the home and office. These products deliver the same or better performance as comparable models while using less energy and saving money. To earn the ENERGY STAR, they must meet strict energy efficiency criteria set by the US Environmental Protection Agency or the US Department of Energy. Since they use less energy, these products save you money on your electricity bill and help protect the environment by causing fewer harmful emissions from power plants. At this web site, ENERGY STAR products are listed and there is a locator for a store in your area that sells ENERGY STAR products.
Purchasing
and Procuring
Resources designed to assist procurement officials in
smart purchase decisions. Take advantage of on-line
training to understand the full
range of purchasing opportunities.
ENERGY STAR® Enables Bulk Purchasing
Do you want to buy ENERGY STAR-qualified products in bulk at competitive prices? The U.S. Department of Energy has published online the ENERGY STAR Bulk Purchasing Tool that connects bulk purchasers of ENERGY STAR qualified products to suppliers with competitive prices. Although anyone can use it, the ENERGY STAR Bulk Purchasing Tool will be particularly useful for organizations such as facilities managers, schools, public housing agencies, builders, and weatherization service providers that purchase light bulbs, light fixtures, or other ENERGY STAR-qualified products in bulk quantities.
HOMES
Find a Home Energy Rater
in Texas
If you want to improve the efficiency of your home, especially if you have high energy bills or your home is uncomfortable, consider contacting a professional to conduct a home energy audit to diagnose why.
Your first step should be to contact your utility to see if they offer free or discounted energy audits to their customers. If not, you can hire a home energy professional, such as a certified Home Energy Rater, to evaluate your home’s energy efficiency.
Improve
Your Home
The typical household spends $1,500 a year on energy bills. With ENERGY STAR, you can save up to 30% or more than $450 per year. Improving your home to reduce energy costs will make your home more comfortable and help protect the environment.
ENERGY
STAR Qualified New Homes
A new ENERGY STAR qualified new home performs better for the homeowner and the environment thanks to a variety of energy-efficient features.
Home
Performance with ENERGY STAR
If Home Performance with ENERGY STAR is available in your area, a qualified contractor will perform a top to bottom energy inspection of your home and recommend customized and cost-effective energy and comfort improvements.
Cool Your World with ENERGY STAR @ Home
Explore the ENERGY STAR @ Home interactive tool and find energy-efficient home improvement ideas and advice to help cool your world! EPA has designed this tool to bring you the best information on how you can save energy and protect the environment. We offer advice on home sealing, what products to buy and everyday energy-saving tips. You can turn to ENERGY STAR for the guidance you need to improve your home's efficiency and save money on your energy bills.
BUILDINGS
Industrial Energy Management Information Center
Energy Management Guidance
Portfolio
Manager for Buildings
Manage your entire portfolio of buildings online and take control of your energy performance. Whether you own, manage, or hold properties for investment, Portfolio Manager can help you to make smart energy choices. Portfolio Manager provides a powerful environment for tracking energy performance and benchmarking buildings across your portfolio. Your facility's performance is rated on a scale from 1 to 100. A facility that scores 75 or higher with a healthy and productive indoor air environment, consistent with industry standards, is eligible to receive the ENERGY STAR label. Portfolio Manager calculates the score and helps you apply for the Label. The Facility Summary page provides detailed information for each individual facility you have entered into Portfolio Manager. Portfolio Manager's many functions include:
- Benchmarking:
Rating the building performance the on a scale of 1-100.
- Management: Streamline energy data management for your buildings.
- Investment priorities: Rank performances of large buildings
in a portfolio.
- Investment priorities: Rank performances of large buildings
in a portfolio.
- Verification: Verify building performance and track progress of improvement
projects.
- Related
Tools: Target Finder and Delta
Score Estimator.
Tools Related to Portfolio Manager
New
Building Design/Target
Finder — Energy Performance Rating System
EPA’s ENERGY STAR® program now provides tools and recognition for designing buildings estimated to achieve superior energy performance.
Monthly presentations on these resources and a web site at www.energystar.gov/newbuildingdesign, describe how to use the EPA building energy
performance rating system, Target Finder, to supplement
the design process, LEED™, and energy simulations. Target
Finder takes basic building and occupant data and
the user’s desired level of energy performance
(1 to 100) and yields the annual energy use value corresponding
to that level of performance.
The resources also include strategies that will enhance performance and illustrate how building owners and designers can readily evaluate and achieve energy-based design targets. Designers learn how to set realistic goals for energy use and compare simulation results to their target and to top performing buildings, using Target Finder. Target Finder and integrated design assistance have been developed for eight major building types, including office buildings, schools, hospitals, hotels, courthouses, and university residence halls.
Delta
Score Estimator
This tool is a quick way to identify the relationship between the percent energy saved in a building and the energy performance rating score of a building using ENERGY STAR's national energy performance rating.
Building Design Guidance Checklist
Free
Online Training Sessions
ENERGY STAR offers 13 online training and presentations to help you improve the energy performance of your organization. The sessions and are offered in three formats: self-guided presentations, live web conferences or pre-recorded trainings. The main categories are:
- Introduction to ENERGY STAR
- Assessing Performance
- Financial Strategiesgies
- Creating Action Plans
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