Survey Shows Sampling Of ENERGY STAR Attitudes And Use

With the future of this popular U.S. EPA program uncertain, MACH Energy has published the results of its recent survey of 400 building and facility professionals to examine the topic.

MACH Energy, a provider of energy and water management software and services, published the results of its research paper “ENERGY STAR: An Analysis Of Economic Benefits To The Built Environment” on the role of the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR program in building management and commercial real estate. Based on survey respondents answers, MACH found strong support for the program, with industry groups and leaders making unequivocal statements touting its benefits, and the detrimental effects on entire industries and workers should the program be eliminated. (In June 2017, Facility Executive published an article from MACH Energy CEO, John Moeller; the article asked readers, “Would You Miss ENERGY STAR” if it is eliminated from the Administration’s budget in 2018? See that article, and share your comments at this link.)

The just released research paper from MACH Energy is a comprehensive analysis of the history, benefits, and future of ENERGY STAR and includes the recent survey results from more than 400 building professionals as well as interviews with industry leaders from BOMA, USGBC, City of San Francisco, and CBRE among others. This broad constituency provided input on a range of topics including: ENERGY STAR’s significance, its benchmarking tool, Portfolio Manager, and concerns about reduced funding. Dave Pogue of CBRE states, “ENERGY STAR was a cornerstone on which we built our sustainability practice – it was important for us to understand where buildings stood in a relative sense. Today, we have almost 6,000 buildings benchmarked.”

In the U.S., buildings account for 40% of total energy consumption. ENERGY STAR certified products and buildings helped Americans save $34 billion in energy costs in 2015 alone, according to the EPA. In the report from MACH Energy, as of January 18, 2017, it’s stated that the program had certified more than 29,700 commercial buildings and industrial plants, whose cumulative savings grew beyond the previous years’ $7.2 billion.

Key takeaways from this recent survey of building professionals including property managers, asset managers, engineers, and others include:

  • 78% would be concerned if ENERGY STAR funding was reduced/removed
  • 75% are unfamiliar with benchmarking tools aside from ENERGY STAR
  • 64% reported Portfolio Manager usage
  • 61% are required to benchmark their facility/portfolio’s consumption

“ENERGY STAR and Portfolio Manager are an integral part of the building sector,” said MACH Energy CEO, Jon Moeller. “Its remarkable success as a voluntary program, widespread implementation, and lack of viable alternatives are obvious and we hope that its value is recognized.”

Further results of this recent survey along with related commentary is found in the “ENERGY STAR: An Analysis Of Economic Benefits To The Built Environment” paper, which is available for free download from the MACH Energy website here (free registration required). The infographic below provides a snapshot of the findings.

ENERGY STAR