by Brianna Crandall — July 3, 2017 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just announced that applications are now being accepted for “Charter Tenant” recognition. Under legislation enacted in 2015, tenants that meet design criteria set by EPA will soon be eligible for ENERGY STAR Tenant Space recognition.
The agency is looking for Charter Tenants to help shape the recognition program. Charter Tenants are organizations that lease office space in multi-tenant buildings and agree to work closely with EPA to provide input and feedback on the criteria and process for earning the recognition. They will be the first eligible to earn the new ENERGY STAR Tenant Space recognition.
Charter Tenant benefits
EPA will recognize all Charter Tenants for their important role in testing and refining the new recognition. Those who go on to earn the ENERGY STAR Tenant Space designation will also receive a decal for the entrance, a digital logo to use in marketing materials, a certificate, and a listing on EPA’s ENERGY STAR Web site.
Application and timeline
To express interest in becoming a Charter Tenant, EPA says to complete the simple Charter ENERGY STAR Tenant Space Application available on the ENERGY STAR Web site by August 15, 2017. If you are a landlord with existing or prospective tenants who might be Charter Tenant candidates, the agency requests that you would please consider helping to recruit them.
By early September, EPA will contact all Charter Tenant applicants to confirm their participation. During the fall, Charter Tenants will participate in Webinars and discussions with EPA, and be asked to complete a more extensive application as they explore the five criteria for ENERGY STAR Tenant Space recognition:
- Estimate energy use
- Meter energy use
- Light efficiently
- Purchase efficient equipment
- Share data
Those with eligible spaces who can demonstrate that they have achieved the five criteria will have a professional engineer or registered architect verify the information (including that efficient lighting and meters are in place), and submit a completed application to EPA.
Charter Tenants should be ready to commit approximately 10 hours to this initiative, including discussions with EPA and participation in Webinars, as well as completion of the ENERGY STAR Tenant Space Application (available later this summer).
For more information, visit the ENERGY STAR for tenants Web page.
