The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that will create a voluntary energy-efficiency program modeled after Energy Star for commercial and government buildings.
President Obama is expected to sign the so-called Tenant Star law, which authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set up a branding, recognition, and certification program. Tenant Star is targeted for property owners and tenants who design, build, and operate leased spaces in office buildings.
Tenant Star encourages tenants, who, in some buildings, consume more than half of the power used by the building, to take measures to save energy. If the program is widely adopted, it could save landlords and tenants an estimated $2 billion by 2030 and reduce carbon emissions by nearly 12 million metric tons.
"Tenant Star will also go a long way to help ensure that U.S. buildings—and the separate spaces leased within them—are at the vanguard of technology and energy conservation,” says Anthony E. Malkin, Chair of The Real Estate Roundtable's Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee and Chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. “The program will allow building owners to attract financiers, investors, and tenants in the increasingly competitive national and global markets for real estate.”
Related Stories
| Nov 26, 2014
Colorado must fix construction defects law, Denver Post says
Colorado's “vexing construction defects law” has hampered the building of new condominiums in the state, according to an editorial in the Denver Post.
| Nov 26, 2014
Cheyenne, Wyoming City Council kills downtown design standards proposal
The Cheyenne, Wyoming City Council voted down a measure that would have implemented design standards for new construction and building additions downtown.
| Nov 26, 2014
ASTM International develops first product category rules for asphalt roofing industry
The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) and ASTM International have developed Product Category Rules (PCR) for asphalt roofing in North America.
| Nov 26, 2014
International Green Construction Code will include option for outcome-based approach
The outcome-based approach requires the building owner to provide the building’s utility bills for a 12-month period within three years.
| Nov 20, 2014
Pentagon is reviewing hospital construction standards
An independent review panel of military specialists met with healthcare leaders Nov. 12 to consider whether construction standards for medical centers should be strengthened to align with industry best practices.
| Nov 20, 2014
ConsensusDocs releases first standard agreement for commissioning contracting
The new standard contract provides a contractual vehicle for owners to save significant money from operation and maintenance costs regarding energy performance.
| Nov 20, 2014
Revamped zoning is transforming several New Jersey downtowns
The zoning policy shift could produce the biggest transformation of North New Jersey’s downtowns since the arrival of malls pulled shoppers away from town centers in the 1960s and 1970s.
| Nov 20, 2014
ANSI approves 2015 Wood-Frame Construction Manual standard
The American Wood Council's 2015 “Wood-Frame Construction Manual for One- and Two-Family Dwellings” (WFCM ) has been approved as an American National Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
| Nov 17, 2014
AAMA releases new blast hazard mitigation specifications for vertical fenestration systems
This document provides a guide for manufacturers, architects/specifiers, contractors, and building owners for specifying types of systems and services to meet the requirements of blast hazard mitigation.
| Nov 17, 2014
National Roofing Contractors Assn. offers guide for LEED v4 provisions
National Roofing Contractors Association has released LEED v4: Roofing-related Provisions, a document that examines the roofing-related provisions of LEED v4.
