Sustainability Resource roundup

BOMA Georgia Foundation

Environmental sustainability and efficiency are major drivers in commercial real estate. This research report was created to assist property owners and managers in utilizing low or no cost research, resources, and programs as they pertain to the enhancing sustainability and efficiency of commercial properties.

EPA Resources

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government. The EPA began its work on Dec. 2, 1970, under President Richard Nixon. The EPA is responsible for enforcing national environmental policies, such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. The EPA also conducts research and provides information to the public on environmental issues.

The EPA employs scientists, engineers, legal experts, public affairs specialists, environmental protection experts, and more. Through the efforts and research of these professionals, the EPA regularly releases resources to assist in sustainability and environmental protection. Here are a few of these resources:

EPA Environmental Topics

This page provides a hub for the most popular EPA pages on Air, Climate Change, Health, Location-Specific Information, and more.

https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics

EPA Science Inventory

The EPA Science inventory is a searchable database of research reports, journals, and presentations released by the Office of Research and Development.

https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/

EPA Research

EPA Research is a hub of research released by the EPA’s Office of Research and Development https://www.epa.gov/research

EPA’s eGrid Profiles

This page details how your local energy grid produces energy by zip code. It was last updated with 2021 information.

https://www.epa.gov/egrid/power-profiler#/

GHG Emissions Hub

The GHG Emission Factors Hub provides an easy-to-use set of default emission factors for reporting organization greenhouse gas emissions.

https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/ghg-emission-factors-hub

EPA Organization Chart

Need to speak with a member of the EPA? This resource provides the regional office for your area as well as their phone number.

https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-organization-chart

EPA Topic Index

The EPA Topic Index lists subject topics on the EPA website alphabetically, including topics such as Air Quality Analysis, Water Reuse and Recycling, and much more.

https://www.epa.gov/topics-epa-web

The EPA regularly puts out new resources for free through many of their websites and resource hubs. For a more complete list of EPA resources, download the BOMA Georgia Foundation Resource Roundup at www.bomageorgiafoundation.org/reports

The Department of Energy (DOE) Resources

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is a federal cabinet-level department which manages the United States’ energy conservation, energy-related research, domestic energy production, nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production, and radioactive waste disposal. The DOE was formed through The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 on Aug. 4, 1977, under President Jimmy Carter.

The original goal of the DOE was to promote energy conservation and the development of alternative energy sources, and the DOE releases resources in a number of energy related fields. Read through these free resources and scan the QR codes to access them.

Energy Sources | DOE

This resource hub helps to explain different forms of energy as well as the way that energy is stored and distributed.

https://www.energy.gov/energy-sources

Better Building Initiative Solution Center

The Better Buildings Initiative (BBI) Solution Center is a hub of proven solutions for efficiency in buildings.

https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/welcome-better-buildings-solution-center

DOE Energy Storage Grand Challenge (ESGC)

The DOE ESGC is a program built to accelerate the development, commercialization, and utilization of novel energy storage technologies.

https://www.energy.gov/energy-storage-grand-challenge/energy-storage-grand-challenge

Building Technologies Office

The DOE Building Technologies Office (BTO) works to encourage the use of cost-effective technologies, techniques, tools, and services, this page give access to their resources and events.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/building-technologies-office

EERE Emerging Technologies (Buildings)

This page lists and links reports on emerging building technologies from the DOE Building Technologies Office.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/emerging-technologies

DOE L-Prize Competition

The DOE Lighting Prize (L-Prize) competition was originally held in 2011 and led to the increased use of LED lights. The competition began in 2021, and you can follow along here.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/ssl/l-prize-competition

National Renewable Energies Laboratory (NREL)

The NREL is a lab focused on breakthrough research in energy use in the development, commercialization, and deployment of energy efficient and sustainable technologies.

https://www.nrel.gov/index.html

ENERGY STAR®

ENERGY STAR is a program to certify energy efficiency backed by the United States Government. This incredibly important and effective program came about in 1992 when it was established under President Bill Clinton. It operates under the authority of the Clean Air Act of 1963 and the 2005 Energy Policy Act.

The EPA manages the ENERGY STAR program, while the DOE manages Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and provides technical support. ENERGY STAR regularly publishes resources, webinars, and research.

A selection of these resources can be found below:

Data Trends Research

DataTrends are free reports made by the EPA using data from ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager. These reports cover topics such as energy savings, water use tracking, and more.

https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/about_us/datatrends_research/renewable_report

Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Tracking in Portfolio Manager

This resource explains how users can track and report greenhouse gases in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager.

https://portfoliomanager.energystar.gov/pdf/reference/Emissions.pdf

Benchmarking Onsite Renewables in Portfolio Manager

This four page guide details how to accurately measure and track onsite renewable electricity in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/tools-and-resources/how_benchmark_onsite_renewables_portfolio_manager

Commercial Building Tools and Resources

This page collates all the tools, webinars, case studies, and many other resources published by ENERGY STAR®.

https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/tools-and-resources want more resources?

Read the full resource roundup on www.bomageorgiafoundation.org/reports or scan the QR Code to access the report.

Local Utility Providers, Tax Credits, and Rebates

Many gas, energy, and water utility companies offer rebates and savings to encourage sustainable options for building owners and managers. Utility savings programs can generally be broken into two main categories – prescriptive rebates and custom rebates.

Prescriptive rebates are more generic and apply to qualified utility customers. These programs generally base rebates and savings on the usage of high-efficiency equipment like LED lighting, variable frequency drives (VFD), HVAC systems, and others.

Prescriptive programs are simple to enter, and equipment can be pre-approved for a rebate prior to it being installed, depending on the program and company.

Custom rebates are specific to each building. If new construction or facility improvement does not fit into the prescriptive rebates or any other utility rebate program, a custom rebate can be designed based around the energy-savings your new construction or facility upgrade would bring.

Depending on the utility company, a custom rebate may be separate from prescriptive or other rebates, so buildings may apply for multiple types of rebates and receive all of them.

Prescriptive and custom rebates are important programs for assisting building upgrades and new construction. The EPA keeps a database of tax credits, rebates, and savings for each utility provider, federal, local, and state governments, non-profit organizations, and other organizations offering rebates and incentives.

These are collected in the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) website (scan the QR code below to access).

For further sustainability resources, please check this State-by-State Resource Locator (scan below to access). This resource locator is maintained by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences and is funded by the EPA. These resources cover a wide range of topics, from asbestos and other hazardous waste to green buildings and lead paint abatements.

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)

https://www.dsireusa.org/

State-by-State Resource Locator

This resource locator provides options for custom and presciptive rebates in each state and municipality, https://www.envcap.org/srl/index.php

BOMA Georgia Foundation research provides tools to real estate professionals that add value to the properties they own, manage, and operate.

Scan the QR code below to get access to this impactful work: