- March 22, 2018
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Currently, to receive ENERGY STAR® certification for multifamily new construction, you would get your certification through the ENERGY STAR Certified Homes program or the ENERGY STAR Multifamily High Rise program. This may change by early 2020. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a recent statement, multifamily will soon have a single program, rather than splitting them across the Certified Homes program and the Multifamily High Rise program.
“To better serve the multifamily sector, EPA is in the process of creating a single ENERGY STAR multifamily program by merging the current requirements and adopting the most appropriate from each.”
This proposal comes as the result of stakeholder feedback, calling for a better representation of multifamily as it relates to ENERGY STAR and its current program offerings. However, the EPA is not the only organization pushing for program enhancements within the multifamily sector. The Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) is also pursuing proposals specifically aimed at expanding the scope of the HERS program to include services for multifamily buildings of any size. To learn more about the RESNET changes, click here.
How Do I Get Involved?
If you work on multifamily projects that pursue ENERGY STAR Certification, there is still an opportunity to learn about the proposed requirements and provide your input before they become part of the official program. Linked below are slides from the March 22 webinar presented by the EPA, which presents the rationale and overall framework of the proposed technical requirements, explains how stakeholders can provide comments, and answers questions from the audience.
The EPA will collect feedback submitted to mfhr@energystar.gov until April 20, 2018.
By Gayathri Vijayakumar, Principal Mechanical Engineer