ESG & Investing

Why Building Owners Don’t Want the EPA to Ditch Energy Star

The program known for its bright blue-and-white logo also helps buildings gauge energy use.

Over 330,000 buildings across the country, representing nearly 25% of commercial building space, use Portfolio Manager — a software tool within the federal government’s Energy Star program.

Photographer: Amir Hamja/Bloomberg

Energy Star — best known for its bright blue-and-white logo — saves homeowners billions of dollars every year in energy costs. But it includes another key feature widely used by commercial real estate to gauge energy use from buildings, a main source of greenhouse gas emissions in cities.

Property owners and advocates are fretting over its possible demise under the Trump administration.