WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expanding the Energy Star program to encourage the design of energy-efficient commercial buildings. Architecture firms will now be able to distinguish buildings that have been designed to be among the most efficient buildings in the country as "Designed to Earn the Energy Star."
According to the EPA, commercial buildings alone emit about 20 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. A building design will be eligible for the new designation if the building is expected to qualify for the Energy Star label once in operation. Buildings that have been in operation for at least one year qualify for the Energy Star by scoring 75 or higher on EPA's 100-point national energy rating scale.