Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§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 Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The EPA must create a voluntary Tenant Star program under Energy Star, working with the Department of Energy, to encourage energy savings in tenant-occupied parts of commercial buildings. The Energy Information Administration must add questions to every Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey done after April 30, 2015 to collect data on types of tenants that use a lot of energy (for example, data centers, trading floors, and restaurants) and other building features that affect energy use. If the first survey can’t collect everything, they must build the ability and start collecting what they can. The EIA must publish the results in grouped form and share them with the EPA. Within one year after the EPA gets enough of that data, and after letting the public comment, the EPA must set up rules to recognize tenants that achieve high energy performance, create occupancy categories based on the data, and consider other recognition options. After the required study in section 17084(b) is done, the EPA may also set up a voluntary recognition for owners or tenants who use high-performance energy measures in design and construction. Defined terms: High-performance energy efficiency measure — defined in section 17084. Separate spaces — defined in section 17084.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §17085

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

(a)Definitions

In this section: (1) High-performance energy efficiency measure

(2)Separate spaces

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

(b)Tenant Star

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)Expanding survey data

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)Recognition of owners and tenants

(1)Occupancy-based recognition

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)Design

and construction-based recognition

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

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110