In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for three years. OMB requests that the Agency update the supporting statement to the standard 18 question format in the next ICR renewal.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
01/31/2024
36 Months From Approved
01/31/2021
332,914
0
285,627
210,306
0
254,084
5,034,450
0
10,827,727
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created ENERGY STAR as a voluntary program to help businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. The program focuses on reducing utility-generated emissions by reducing the demand for energy. In 1991, EPA launched the Green Lights program to encourage corporations, state and local governments, colleges and universities, and other organizations to adopt energy-efficient lighting as a profitable means of preventing pollution and improving lighting quality. Since then, EPA has rolled Green Lights into ENERGY STAR for the commercial and industrial sectors and expanded ENERGY STAR to encompass organization-wide energy performance improvement, such as building technology upgrades, product purchasing initiatives, and employee training. At the same time, EPA has streamlined the reporting requirements of ENERGY STAR and focused on providing recognition incentives for improvements (e.g., ENERGY STAR Awards program). EPA also makes tools and resources available over the web to help the public overcome the barriers to evaluating their energy performance and investing in profitable improvements. For several reasons, the publics participation in the ENERGY STAR program for commercial and industrial sectors has continued to increase over the past several years, and EPA expects their participation to rise even more in the coming years. For example, a growing number of state and local governments are leveraging ENERGY STAR as a way for the public to respond to rising energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, including mandatory energy benchmarking and disclosure laws that require buildings within their jurisdiction to use EPAs ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. As of the end of 2018, 29 local governments and three states rely on Portfolio Manager as the foundation for their energy benchmarking and transparency policies. Participation in ENERGY STAR has also risen dramatically because of the efforts of trade associations, utilities, and third-party providers in promoting the program to the public. As participation has increased, EPA has taken measures to reduce the burden on participants that take advantage of the benefits of ENERGY STAR. For example, EPA has expanded Portfolio Manager Web Services, which is one of several benchmarking data-entry methods available to users. Because Web Services integrates automated data collection and entry, it offers significant time-saving advantages over the other methods. Over many years, EPA has seen a growing trend of users opting for Web Services and thereby realizing these savings. In 2009, 41% of all benchmarks were performed using Web Services. By 2017, this had grown to 73%. In addition to expanding Web Services, the Agency has continued to enhance other features of Portfolio Manager, allowing participants to enter and retrieve information more quickly. Furthermore, EPA is always looking for ways to reduce burden and in recent years has introduced changes to the requirements for certification that reduce both labor and cost for applicants, without impacting the integrity of the ENERGY STAR certification. In 2017, the ENERGY STAR program for commercial buildings helped businesses and organizations save 160 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, avoid $9 billion in energy costs, and protect the climate by achieving 110 million metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. On average, ENERGY STAR certified buildings use 35% less energy than typical buildings nationwide. In 2017, the ENERGY STAR program for industrial plants helped businesses save 34 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, avoid $3 billion in energy costs, and protect the climate by achieving 40 million metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions.
There is a decrease of 43,778 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. This decrease is due in part to program enhancements and clarifications. The decrease is also due to EPAs adjustments to its burden estimates. For example, EPA adjusted its analysis of its online tool, Portfolio Manager, to reflect data indicating that, although use of the tool is increasing, users are spending less time per building benchmarked, on average, than in the past.
$616,456
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Cynthia Veit Maia 202 564-9494
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
ENERGY STAR Program in the Commercial and Industrial Sectors - Public Sector Entities