The ENERGY STAR program continues to operate amid political uncertainty, backed by strong bipartisan and industry support to ensure it remains a federally managed initiative, according to a recent update from the Real Estate Roundtable.
Earlier this year, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin told Congress that the agency was considering privatizing ENERGY STAR. This long-standing voluntary program identifies and promotes energy-efficient products, homes and buildings.
That suggestion was met with pushback from RER and a broad coalition of real estate and industry organizations. Despite a proposed budget cut and the ongoing federal shutdown, ENERGY STAR remains fully active, and its most important tools continue to function as usual.
Funding for the program appears to be secure through at least mid-2026, and both the House and Senate have signaled that ample funds for EPA’s buildings and appliance partnership programs will be available once the government reopens, RER said.
Programs that have continued to operate amid uncertainty include the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, a free online benchmarking platform that helps building owners and managers measure and track energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and waste. The tool enables users to compare a building’s performance with similar properties nationwide, earn ENERGY STAR certification for properties that perform in the top 25% for efficiency and generate reports to support sustainability goals, compliance requirements or investor disclosures.
Another tool that remains operational is the ENERGY STAR registry of certified buildings, a public database listing all commercial and multifamily properties that have earned ENERGY STAR certification for superior energy performance. It serves as both a key resource for commercial real estate professionals and the world’s largest publicly available dataset on building energy efficiency, offering transparency, comparability and benchmarks for sustainability efforts.
The EPA has also expanded its recognition framework with the ENERGY STAR NextGen™ certification, which highlights buildings that go beyond efficiency to reduce direct emissions and incorporate renewable energy. Since the summer of 164, NextGen buildings have been certified. The initiative reflects the real estate sector’s growing focus on net-zero goals, carbon reduction and renewable energy sourcing, providing owners and managers with a straightforward way to demonstrate sustainability leadership.
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