Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60

§17085 Tenant Star Program

Title 42 › Chapter 152— ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SECURITY › Subchapter III— ENERGY SAVINGS IN BUILDINGS AND INDUSTRY › Part B— High-Performance Commercial Buildings › § 17085

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The EPA must create a voluntary Tenant Star program under Energy Star, with help from the Department of Energy, to encourage energy savings in spaces inside commercial buildings that tenants lease or occupy. Two terms are used: "high-performance energy efficiency measure" (very efficient equipment or design) and "separate spaces" (areas in a building leased or occupied by tenants). The Energy Information Administration, working for the Secretary of Energy, must collect data in every Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey done after April 30, 2015 on high-energy uses (like data centers, trading floors, and restaurants) and other building or occupancy details the agencies find useful. If the first survey after April 30, 2015 cannot meet all requirements, the EIA must start building the ability to collect the data and begin collecting what it can. The EIA must publish the data in grouped form and give it to the EPA. Within 1 year after the EPA gets enough data, and after public notice and comment, the EPA must set up rules like the Energy Star rating to recognize tenants who voluntarily reach high energy efficiency in separate spaces, decide which types of occupants are eligible using the collected data, and consider other ways to recognize energy-saving tenants. After the study required by section 17084(b) is finished, the EPA, with the Secretary and after public input, may also create a voluntary recognition program for owners and tenants who use high-performance efficiency measures in designing and building separate spaces.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §17085

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In this section:

(1)The term “high-performance energy efficiency measure” has the meaning given the term in section 17084 of this title.

(2)The term “separate spaces” has the meaning given the term in section 17084 of this title.

(b)The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall develop a voluntary program within the Energy Star program established by section 6294a of this title, which may be known as “Tenant Star”, to promote energy efficiency in separate spaces leased by tenants or otherwise occupied within commercial buildings.

(c)The Secretary of Energy, acting through the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration, shall—

(1)collect, through each Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey of the Energy Information Administration that is conducted after April 30, 2015, data on—

(A)categories of building occupancy that are known to consume significant quantities of energy, such as occupancy by data centers, trading floors, and restaurants; and

(B)other aspects of the property, building operation, or building occupancy determined by the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to be relevant in lowering energy consumption;

(2)with respect to the first Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey conducted after April 30, 2015, to the extent full compliance with the requirements of paragraph (1) is not feasible, conduct activities to develop the capability to collect such data and begin to collect such data; and

(3)make data collected under paragraphs (1) and (2) available to the public in aggregated form and provide such data, and any associated results, to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for use in accordance with subsection (d).

(d)(1)Not later than 1 year after the date on which sufficient data is received pursuant to subsection (c), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall, following an opportunity for public notice and comment—

(A)in a manner similar to the Energy Star rating system for commercial buildings, develop policies and procedures to recognize tenants in commercial buildings that voluntarily achieve high levels of energy efficiency in separate spaces;

(B)establish building occupancy categories eligible for Tenant Star recognition based on the data collected under subsection (c) and any other appropriate data sources; and

(C)consider other forms of recognition for commercial building tenants or other occupants that lower energy consumption in separate spaces.

(2)After the study required by section 17084(b) of this title is completed, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the Secretary and following an opportunity for public notice and comment, may develop a voluntary program to recognize commercial building owners and tenants that use high-performance energy efficiency measures in the design and construction of separate spaces.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 17085

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60