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
| Feb 19, 2014
USGBC introduces new online educational platform
The U.S. Green Building Council has introduced “Education @USGBC” a new educational platform.
| Feb 17, 2014
Channeling weather forecasts to building systems can yield significant energy savings
Using weather forecasts to predict outdoor temperature changes can lead to significant energy savings, exceeding 10%, researchers say.
| Feb 17, 2014
Lawmakers may take away control of Florida hospital project from the VA
The project is $100 million over budget and has missed its scheduled completion date.
| Feb 17, 2014
Business, labor at odds over toughening of OSHA silica dust rule
OSHA says the rules will protect workers and prevent 700 fatalities annually. Others say the rules would hurt businesses and jobs.
| Feb 17, 2014
Tulsa, Okla., mulls code change to require storm shelters in new schools
State and city officials are pushing for increased bonding capacity to pay for the storm shelters.
| Feb 13, 2014
Appraisal Institute issues guidelines on evaluating green property
The Appraisal Institute and the Institute for Market Transformation have issued guidelines for training property appraisers to evaluate green buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
New LEED Dynamic Plaque system will measure building performance
The U.S. Green Building Council recently unveiled the LEED Dynamic Plaque, which is a new system designed for benchmarking and comparing post-occupancy building performance on a global scale.
| Feb 7, 2014
Los Angeles officials struggle to deal with needed seismic retrofits
Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
Los Angeles officials struggle to deal with needed seismic retrofits
Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
EPA, Freddie Mac collaborate on energy- and water-efficient apartments
Freddie Mac will gather data on energy and water use from property owners, and encourage lenders to spend on energy-efficient investments for multifamily housing.
