What Is Energy Star Portfolio Manager?

Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM) is a free, online tool from the EPA that supports tracking, baselining, benchmarks for specific building types to support energy efficiency improvement and ongoing management of a building’s energy and water use. 

Topics Discussed On This Page:

Why is ESPM valuable to a business or institution?
What is the Added Value of ESPM combined with the Central Florida Kilowatt Crackdown?
Free Promotion and link into your site
Free Promotion through PSA (Public Service Announcement)
Other Free Promotion
Can You Afford NOT TO Take The Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge and NOT TO Use ESPM?
Start Using Energy Star Portfolio Manager

Why is ESPM valuable to a business or institution?

ESPM gives access, both at the individual building/asset level and through a master account, to energy and water use data month over month in terms of KBTUes (KBTU or KW) and cost for a minimum of 12 months and up to 3 or more years of past monthly energy use data and then every month going forward.  If you are not measuring energy and water use, you are not energy or water efficient.  ESPM provides a substantial and proven, online management tool that is online to corporate and individual properties with no software development or implementation cost.  ESPM provides:

  • Free online energy and water monthly tracking and management tool.  No cost to measure and manage energy and water use.
  • Free Online Access to authorized employees or members.
  • Free baseline of 12 to 36 months and longer (12 consecutive months required for EPA supported baseline) for each building, all meters and for all fuels used to operate building.
  • Free benchmark for 10 building types based on size and specific characteristics (e.g., office building, K-12 School, Hotel)—Benchmarking a building’s energy efficiency is required to assess a building’s energy efficiency by getting a quantitative comparison to other buildings of same type, size, region, etc.  Benchmarks are expensive.  The EPA has done the studies to provide valid benchmarks for many building types.  For buildings that don’t fall into one of the benchmark categories the EPA provides, the building can still get benefit from the tool with the baseline, a view of the building’s energy intensity and manage energy and water use on an ongoing monthly basis.
  • Free monthly input via entity personnel or, if your utility supports electronic transfer of information
  • Ability to earn Energy Star Rating for your building.  See note below for studies documenting the value of having an Energy Star Rating for your building or being a LEED certified building.  ESPM’s benchmark scores your building for energy efficiency on a 1 to 100 scale with a score of 50 being average energy efficiency performance for your building.  A score of 75 or better earns the Energy Star Rating for your building with a formal outdoor plaque for your building and the right to use the ES Rating in your marketing and promotion materials.  The Orange County Environmental Protection Division and Health Department building received the Energy Star
  • Ability to earn an improvement award from the EPA for 30% improvement in energy efficiency performance whether there is a benchmark available for your building type or not, i.e., classified other.
  • Free calculation of GHG emissions that is accepted as the official building’s GHG emissions measure.  The entity doesn’t have to track on its own GHG emissions for reporting with the GHG emissions measure from ESPM.
  • Free training online for ESPM, including regular Webinars.
  • Free data, tips, case studies, etc. at www.energystar.gov.

The EPA provides a wonderful summary of how Energy Star for buildings came about and its value; just click below:
CELEBRATING A DECADE OF ENERGY STAR BUILDINGS 1999-2009

 

What is the Added Value of ESPM combined with the Central Florida Kilowatt Crackdown?

(See ‘What is CFEEA?’ and ‘What is the Kilowatt Crackdown?’)
Joining CFEEA and/or Taking the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge allows you and the community to promote your leadership in energy use reduction and sustainability. 

For association members the community support aspect through the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge with the power of ESPM gives you a unique opportunity for new members, to connect and offer value to an existing client or target client and/or visibly show your impact for the community via the number CFEEA members you sign-up and/or the number of buildings you get to Take the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge.

CFEEA and the Kilowatt Crackdown is intent on promoting CFEEA members and Kilowatt Crackdown Challengers as energy use reduction and sustainability leaders in the community.

 

Free Promotion and link into your site:

 

Free Promotion through PSA (Public Service Announcement)

  • For all CFEEA members and Kilowatt Crackdown Challengers, WHDO TV 38 provides a monthly updated High Definition Video of your logo, you official name, and, if you have a building, a picture of your signature building.  The video has voice over and music.  The PSAs will be shown:
  • 4 times daily on WHDO TV 38
  • On other stations, but more likely in late night slots—we’re working to get priority showings
  • On the web sites above
  • Orange TV is also doing PSAs

 

Other Free Promotion

CFEEA members work to get placement in local newspapers, journals, magazines, etc..  For example, Net Impact Orlando on behalf of CFEEA and USGBC-CF got the Orlando Business Journal, Nov 27-De3c 12 issue to carry:
The Kilowatt Crackdown on the front page of the Green Issue of the Orlando Business Journal highlighting several CFEEA Members and Kilowatt Crackdown Challengers:

  • Orlando Science Center
  • Orange County
  • University of Central Florida
  • Florida Green Building Council
  • USGBC-Central Florida Chapter

On the third page of the same Green issue, OBJ did a very good spread of some of Central Florida’s LEED certified projects:

  • Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona
  • Discovery Tech Center II, Taurus Southern Investments
  • OUC Administration Building
  • Science and Allied Health Building at Valencia Community College
  • US Citizenship & Immigration Services Building, General Services Administration
  • Wyndham Vacation Ownership Corporate Headquarters
  • Wyndham Vacation Ownership 1400 Building Suite Build-out
  • Colonial Ninth Grade Center Building, Orange County Public Schools
  • IKEA Orlando
  • City of Orlando Fire Stations 14, 15, 16, 17

There are a few more LEED certified buildings in Central Florida that didn’t make the page, but will at a later date.

And More!

 

Can You Afford NOT TO Take The Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge and NOT TO Use ESPM?

  • Promoting and/or Taking the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge is a no-brainer:
  • Add value for existing and target customers
  • Require your vendors/suppliers take the Challenge and use ESPM—you’re then working your supply chain
  • Save money
  • Develop a cost advantage or be ready if you need to keep up with your competitor’s energy and water use reductions
  • Measure and manage your energy and water use for savings now and minimizing cost from increased pricing every year.

 

Start Using Energy Star Portfolio Manager

Net Impact Orlando can help.  However, there is online training and access to Energy Star Portfolio Manager at www.energystar.gov, click on ‘Buildings and Plants’ Header down the page a bit and then go to ‘Tools’ mid-page and click on Energy Star Portfolio Manager to get to a lot of information about Energy Star Portfolio Manager.  Remember Net Impact Orlando can help you engage your employees and/or provide interns to load your baseline data.
Building your building’s profile is pretty simple as is the baseline load.  Please start using Energy Star Portfolio Manager to measure and manage your building’s energy use.