Using EnergyCAP to Receive an ENERGY STAR Rating

There are three primary tasks involved in using EnergyCAP to receive an ENERGY STAR rating:

• Defining building attributes in EnergyCAP
• Submitting data to ENERGY STAR
• Retrieving ENERGY STAR results

Use the checklist that follows to define building attributes in EnergyCAP for automated ENERGY STAR submittal. Then follow the procedures indicated to submit and retrieve ENERGY STAR ratings.

Ensure that the user has necessary system permission to submit ENERGY STAR data to the EPA.

Before an EnergyCAP user can perform most ENERGY STAR-related tasks, the user must have permission to submit ENERGY STAR data. To check user permissions, run EnergyCAP and navigate to Setup>Facilities.  TheENERGY STAR shortcut button should be visible. If it is blue, the user has the necessary permissions. If it is grayed out, the user must be granted ENERGY STAR Submittal Execute permission (User Manager>User Properties).

Ensure that building attribute details are up-to-date.

As the EPA makes changes to the ENERGY STAR rating system by adding or changing the attributes used in the statistical rating process, EnergyCAP will keep you up-to-date with periodic updates.  To check for available updates, click on the ENERGY STAR shortcut button/icon from the Facility Manager.  If an Apply Update button appears in the lower left corner of the ENERGY STAR Interface window, this means that the ENERGY STAR building attribute list has been changed. Click Apply Update to apply the update if the button is present; otherwise, click Cancel.

When an update has been successfully applied, the Apply Update button will disappear and a confirming message will appear in the Status window.

Configure the building properly for ENERGY STAR submittal.

Each building that you wish to submit to the ENERGY STAR must be properly configured, using the ENERGY STAR tab from Building Properties.

NOTE: A building must be saved to the Place hierarchy before ENERGY STAR tab options become active.

To fully configure your building for ENERGY STAR:

1. Use the Facility Manager navigation pane to locate and highlight/select the desired building.
2. Right-click and select Properties to open the Place Properties window for your ENERGY STAR participant building.
3. On the General tab, be sure the building has an address and ZIP Code.  The ZIP Code is mandatory; this is how ENERGY STAR associates the building with the correct weather data.
4. On the Building tab, ensure the building has a floor area record.  This is also mandatory.
5. On the ENERGY STAR tab:
1. Make sure that the ENERGY STAR participant building checkbox is checked.
2. Select the ENERGY STAR Building Type from the drop-down list.
   
   
   
   NOTE: Building types that don’t appear in the list (for example, a college library) must be submitted as ‘Other.’  Other building types will not receive an ENERGY STAR rating but will still receive the results of energy and environmental  calculations (kbtu/sq ft, greenhouse gas emissions).
3. From the ENERGY STAR Values tab, enter the required building attributes. Some responses may need to be estimated. 
   
   
   
   The ENERGY STAR website (http://www.energystar.gov) provides guidance on attribute definitions.
   NOTE: The ZIP Code field is automatically populated from the building address on the General tab, and the Gross Floor Area is automatically populated from the Building tab.
   
   
4. From the ENERGY STAR Sub-Spaces tab, define any spaces within the building that have a different primary use than the main space.
   
   
   
   NOTE: The ENERGY STAR rating will be most accurate (and often higher) if subspaces are properly identified within the building. The Parking subspace is particularly important. IF the utility bills submitted to ENERGY STAR will include the electricity used to light an adjacent parking area, be certain to identify a parking subspace. An enclosed parking structure has solid walls, such as below ground parking, and requires 24/7 lighting and ventilation.  A non-enclosed structure requires 24/7 lighting but uses natural ventilation.  An open parking structure is a surface lot with nighttime lighting.  If the lot is available all the time, input 168 for weekly access hours (7x24=168 hrs).
   
   
   
   
   
5. Click the Meter Include/Exclude tab to identify meters assigned to this building that should be excluded from the ENERGY STAR data submittal because the energy usage is external to the building.  For example, if you have a parking lot with its own meter, exclude the meter and do not identify the lot as a subspace.  Do the same for meters on exterior signage or separately metered ancillary buildings.
   
   
6. After building properties have been configured properly, click OK to save changes and close the Place Properties window.

Submitting ENERGY STAR Data to the EPA Portfolio Manager for a Rating

To submit ENERGY STAR data to the EPA Portfolio Manager, follow the procedure below.

1. Ensure that the latest utility bills have been entered. 
   NOTE: A full year of data is required for each utility meter associated with the submitted building.
2. Click the blue ENERGY STAR button/icon from the Facility Manager title bar. The ENERGY STAR Interface window will open.
3. Click the Selective Building Submittal tab to view and edit the list of buildings to be submitted. If you have configured many buildings but do not want to submit all of them, click in the Submit column to select the desired buildings for submittal. All buildings with a checkmark in the Submit column will be submitted,
   NOTE: If desired, click the Submit column header to toggle ALL buildings on or off.
   
   
4. After buildings have been selected, click the Submittal information and Status tab. Then click the Submit button. The message pane will indicate how many buildings and meters were submitted. 
   
   

ENERGY STAR Submittal Notes:

Normally, EnergyCAP will only submit new bills entered since the last submittal, plus any bills that have since been edited.  That means that for the first submittal, ALL historical bills will be submitted, and later submittals will be limited to newly-edited bills in order to eliminate needless data transfer.  It also means that when a building has no new or edited bills, the building will NOT be submitted even if the Place is an ENERGY STAR Participant Building.

If you want to force a building to be resubmitted with all its available historical bills, uncheck the checkbox below the building list (“Only submit buildings having new/edited bills since last submittal”).  You can use this checkbox (uncheck it) to force a building to be resubmitted when you have no new/edited bills but you made changes to building attributes.

Resetting Portfolio Manager Settings for Buildings with Meter or Subspace Changes

!  If you decide to exclude a meter or remove a sub-space that has been previously submitted to ENERGY STAR, it is necessary to Reset the building’s Portfolio Manager data.  Otherwise, even if the meter or sub-space no longer exists in EnergyCAP, it still exists in Portfolio Manager and will continue to affect your ratings. !

After making meter or subspace changes in EnergyCAP, always make certain to click the Reset Portfolio Manager Data for this Building button from the ENERGY STAR Interface window (the button will only be active if ENERGY STAR information has been previously submitted to the EPA).  Cicking Reset Portfolio Manager Data for this Building sends a command to Portfolio Manager to delete all meters and sub-spaces for the building.  This will is essence give the building a 'clean start' in Portfolio Manager.

! Do not neglect to reset Portfolio Manager data! Even if you login to Portfolio Manager at the EPA website and delete a meter or sub-space there and delete it in EnergyCAP, the meter or subspace will re-appear in future submissionsbecause it’s also stored in an intermediate submittal database.  The Reset button must be used to ensure that meter and subspace data is accurate and up-to-date!

An XML log of the most recent submittal file is maintained on the computer hard drive at the path indicated.  This makes it possible to view the data file that has been submitted. Note that subsequent submittals will overwrite this file.

If the message shown below in yellow is received, this means that the ENERGY STAR building attribute list has been revised by EPA, and one or more buildings cannot be submitted until building attributes are edited to comply with the new submittal requirements.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• The Submit button is multi-functional and will change its title based on the status of the submittal:
• Submit: Begin the submittal process
• Continue: Ratings were in the process of being submitted but did not finish. This can happen if there was a communications error or if the user clicked Cancel during the submission process.
• Get Ratings: Submittal is complete. Awaiting Ratings. EnergyCAP immediately checks for ratings results each time the Get Ratings button is clicked
• The Cancel button will abort a submittal that is in process.
• The Continue button will initiate submittal, beginning with the last building submitted. During submittal, the number of buildings submitted is recorded in the database SystemData table. This number is referenced when the Continue button is clicked.
• If a meter does not have at least 12 months of bills (required), data for that meter will not be sent to ENERGY STAR.

Receiving an ENERGY STAR rating

Shortly after the Submit button from the ENERGY STAR Interface window has been clicked, it will be replaced by a Get Ratings button.This indicates that data has been submitted to the EPA. Results will generally be available in two hours or less.An email notification will be sent to the specified email address when results are available.

Click the Get Ratings button to retrieve results. If results are not yet available, a message to that effect will be displayed in the Submittal Information and Status message panel. If ratings are available, they will be displayed in the Ratings History tab (Place Properties>ENERGY STAR tab) for the building.

Click on a note to see the complete text when a note is present.

Understanding Results

To view the Ratings History for a building, navigate to the desired building in the Facility Manager hierarchy. Then right-click the building name/icon and select Properties from the popup menu to open the Place Properties window for the building. Then click the ENERGY STAR tab and click Rating History.

The ENERGY STAR ratings grid is a history of the last 10 ratings received for a building.

The Rating History tab shows the results returned from the EPA, with the most recent submittal at the top of the list. In addition to the ENERGY STAR Rating, the following information is also provided:

• Bldg kbtu/SF non-wthr: The total energy usage per sq ft, expressed in kbtu (thousands of btu), for the most recent 12-month period for which bills were available at the time of submittal.  Not weather normalized.
• Bldg kbtu/SF for a 75. The energy usage per sq ft that corresponds to a 'target' rating of 75 for this building, given the building type, location and attribute values.  Ratings higher than a 75 would require a lower usage/sq ft.
• Bldg kbtu/SF wthr: The total energy usage per sq ft, expressed in kbtu (thousands of btu), for the most recent 12-month period for which bills were available at the time of submittal, with weather normalization.
• Label Eligible? Indicates if the building is eligible for an ENERGY STAR label.  If Yes, you can login to your Portfolio Manager account on the ENERGYSTAR.gov website and apply for an official ENERGY STAR label.  This requires a licensed engineer to certify your data and code compliant building operations.
• Source kbtu/SF non-wthr: The total energy usage per sq ft, expressed in kbtu (thousands of btu), for the most recent 12-month period for which bills were available at the time of submittal, adjusted to “source” energy.  Source energy is adjusted for the fuel input  at the power plant required to supply the output of electricity actually used.  ENERGYSTAR.gov explains this in greater detail.
• Source kbtu/SF with wthr: Same as the previous column, but adjusted to minimize the effect of weather differences between the submitted building and the comparison set.
• Direct GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions in equivalent metric tons of carbon dioxide. (A metric ton is 2,205 lbs).  Direct emissions are emissions released from your building due to the burning of gas, oil or coal.
• Indirect GHG.  These are emissions released from a distant power plant due to your use of electricity.
• Total GHG. The sum of direct and indirect.
• Notes.  Any notes returned by the EPA’s rating system are shown in the far right column.

Double-clicking on a row of the grid will open a window presenting all the alerts associated with the data in a more readable format.

ENERGY STAR reports in EnergyCAP

Use Analysis reports AN24 and AN24A to display ENERGY STAR ratings for submitted buildings. The AN24 Energy Star Ratings report is listed by Place. It provides the most current ENERGY STAR Rating Date, Rating and Notes. The AN24A Energy Star Ratings With History report provides a record of all results available, including the ENERGY STAR Rating Date, Rates, and Notes for each submission.