The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) welcomed the announcement that the CoStar Group will now publicize building energy performance information in its commercial real estate listings. This information is already being made public by state and local governments through building energy benchmarking and transparency laws. The announcement is part of a broader partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative. 

“NEMA has long promoted increased energy performance transparency as a means of advancing energy efficiency in commercial, government-owned, and multifamily buildings,” said NEMA President and CEO Kevin J. Cosgriff. “By prominently displaying energy performance information like ENERGY STAR portfolio manager scores, energy use intensity, and other energy-related metrics for tens of thousands of buildings over the next few years, CoStar Group will accelerate investments in energy-efficient products and building operations that support local construction and manufacturing jobs in communities around the country.”

Through its High-Performance Buildings Council, NEMA has worked in cities, counties, and states around the country to promote the adoption of building energy benchmarking and transparency laws. In many jurisdictions, ENERGY STAR scores and energy-related metrics are made public through a downloadable spreadsheet or database; however, the information can be difficult to access, which reduces its efficacy in driving energy-efficiency investments. By including energy performance metrics as part of a platform that real estate professionals already visit for information about buildings, CoStar Group is ensuring that buyers and renters have access to the information they need to understand whether a specific building is a high performer or a less efficient facility that could have higher operating costs.

CoStar Group will begin publishing information on buildings in Chicago, IL, and Washington, D.C., this summer, followed by a broader rollout of information this fall. 

For building owners and facility managers looking to improve their facilities’ energy performance, NEMA has published a step-by-step roadmap, theBuilding Owner’s Toolkit, for assessing energy performance and identifying needed upgrades.