WASHINGTON, DC—The Department of Energy has published a request in the Federal Register seeking comments for the Tenant Star program that was established in a bill passed by the Congress earlier this year and signed by President Obama. Called the Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015, the measure authorizes the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to create a voluntary program modeled after the ENERGY STAR program. Once it is put into effect, the program is expected to provide similar recognition for property owners and tenants that design, construct and operate energy-efficient building spaces.

This request for comments the Energy Department published is a requirement of the law and represents one of the first steps for the measure to actually take shape. Specifically, the department is seeking comments regarding "effective methods, measures, and practices for the design and construction of separate building spaces (also known as tenant spaces) to create high-performance, energy efficient spaces."

Comments are due by Sept. 30, 2015.

In the latest edition of "Ask the Expert," Transwestern's Mahesh Tharoor, vice president – energy and sustainability, provides a sense of the timeline for implementation.

By 2020 EPA Will Develop Policies

Before Tenant Star can begin rating occupiers, there must be a process to identify energy usage within building spaces, Tharoor writes.

"The Department of Energy will begin collecting tenant energy use data as part of its next Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, which is estimated to occur in 2017 or 2018. Survey results will be provided to the Environmental Protection Agency and released publicly as early as 2019, launching a public comment process to develop the occupancy-based recognition program for tenants. As early as 2020, the EPA will develop policies and procedures modeled after ENERGY STAR for the voluntary program."

Property Owners Need Appropriate Tech In Place

But it is not just the government that has work to do -- property owners will need to implement support technologies as well, Tharoor continues.

In a majority of tenant spaces, energy use cannot be measured by source because commercial buildings are primarily metered at the building level, he writes.

"Therefore, to collect the data that will be required by the DOE, building owners will need to implement sub-metering to determine each tenant's energy usage. This means an investment in new technology as well as a learning curve for all parties involved. Once new systems are implemented, a tenant's energy, water and gas usage, as well as waste and carbon emissions, will be quantifiable."