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ENERGY STAR Got a New Landlord
Charlie Cichetti
October 04, 2026
Smart strategies. Sharp stories. Sustainability that sticks.
📬 INTRO: SAME TOOL, NEW AGENCY
Last year more than 330,000 buildings, nearly 25% of US commercial floor space, tracked energy and water in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Seven states and 48 local governments build their benchmarking laws on it.
On Aug. 28, EPA and DOE finalized the plan to move ENERGY STAR to DOE. The whole program, including Portfolio Manager, changes hands within 12 months. Here’s a rundown on what that means for your building!
🌍 FIELD NOTES: THE HANDOFF, LINE BY LINE
📄 The Plan in Plain English
The plan hands DOE leadership of major functions within one month of the finalization of this plan, or by the trademark transfer date, which nobody has announced. Portfolio Manager, the help desk, and energystar.gov move to DOE hosting in phases before July 2027.
It counts the commercial building score as a “specification.”
The plan also says EPA “has not been engaged in updating specifications since early 2025.”
💵 Who Pays
After the administration floated killing the program, Congress funded it at $33 million for FY2026 and required the money be spent. EPA’s FY2027 budget request allocates one EPA employee to support ENERGY STAR under DOE.
NEMA’s Todd Sims wants Congress on board with moving the money: “We just want to be sure that Congress agrees with their understanding of that transfer authority.” A separate trademark transfer plan was due Sept. 1. As of Sept. 22, nothing public confirmed it landed.
The federal stopgap runs through Dec. 11, so FY2027 money for the handoff is still an open question.
🗽 NYC Grades Go Up This Month
New York’s Local Law 33 grade labels became available in DOB NOW on Oct. 1, and the 2026 label must be posted by Oct. 31 near each public entrance. That’s a Saturday. DOB says last year’s extensions don’t apply to 2026.
The letter grade comes straight from the ENERGY STAR score: an A takes 85 or higher, a B takes 70 to 84, and anything under 55 gets a D.
A missed posting can bring a $1,250 fine.
🔧 Your October Checklist
Portfolio Manager’s Web Services 27.0 went live Aug. 30 with no webinar. If a third-party feed sends your utility data, ask your provider whether they updated.
Then run a full-history export and store it on your own servers. Energy Efficiency Day is Oct. 7, a good day for it.
Keep your own copy of every year you’ve benchmarked.
A MESSAGE FROM BUILDINGPLAQUES.COM
Using buildingplaques.com online Plaque Designer, you can quickly and easily design and order customized LEED recognition plaques that features the details of your specific LEED certified project.
Our architectural grade anodized aluminum signs are available in multiple sizes, and identify the elements of your design that earn LEED certification and acknowledge key project members, all while being less expensive than comparable LEED recognition plaque options.
Ready to create your own LEED recognition plaque?
🏛 BUILT TO LAST:
House appropriators wrote “not less than $33,024,000 for the Energy Star program” into their EPA bill, while EPA’s own budget plans for DOE to run it. Your ENERGY STAR label and your city benchmarking filings both come out of Portfolio Manager, so back it up like any other building record.
By role:
📐 Designers: If the owner wants the label, target a score of 75 or better in the energy model.
🔨 Builders: Hand over meter maps and utility account numbers at turnover so benchmarking starts clean.
🏢 Operators: Print your LL33 label in DOB NOW and post it by Oct. 31.
🌱 Emerging pros: Portfolio Manager skills work in seven states and 48 cities. Get fluent.
💬 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“A building score is only as good as the data behind it. Own your data, whoever hosts the tool.”
— Charlie Cichetti, CEO of Skema and LEED Fellow
🧠 TL;DR
ENERGY STAR is moving from EPA to DOE, with Portfolio Manager changing hosts by July 2027. Export your data, check your API feeds, and post NYC grade labels by Oct. 31.
🧱RETROFIT THIS
🔧TOOLS DOWN:
Since 1992, the star has lived at EPA.
330,000 buildings keep their numbers there.
New York hangs the grades on lobby doors.
Now the whole program is packing for DOE.
Movers lose boxes.
Keep a copy of yours.
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✍️ Brian Bollinger, our Head Writer, helps sustainability professionals connect performance, workflow, and real-world results.
🌍️ Charlie Cichetti, our Fearless Leader is the CEO of Skema and a LEED Fellow. He has guided more than 150,000 professionals as building practice continues to evolve.
Let’s Green Up together.
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