Just a few years into my time as a lodging industry journalist—1992—the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Energy Star program. This was during the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Since then, according to EPA, the program has grown to encompass tens of thousands of organizations, utilities, and state and local governments who have partnered with the government to save energy and reduce emissions. With their help, EPA works to identify and dismantle the unique market barriers that prevent progress, and to provide the information and stability that private markets need to thrive. The environmental impacts are staggering, and a testament to the power of partnership: in the course of the past 33 years, Energy Star has reduced electricity demand by five trillion kilowatt-hours and cut greenhouse-gas emissions by four billion metric tons.
On its website, EPA offers a long list of Energy Star accomplishments, by year, since 1992. Research has shown that Energy Star is the most widely recognized symbol for energy efficiency in America. Each day, it’s estimated that more than a million Energy Star-certified products are sold. For years our industry’s leading companies have utilized Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager to benchmark their energy performance. According to EPA, nearly 25 percent of U.S. commercial building space is already actively benchmarking in Portfolio Manager, making it the industry-leading benchmarking tool. It also serves as the national benchmarking tool in Canada.
Given the success of Energy Star—a recent letter to the EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, noted that Energy Star costs about $32 million dollars a year to administer, “yet saves American households more than $40 billion annually on energy bills”—one would think that its future would be safe. Apparently not.
No Comment from EPA
I reached out to the EPA this past week but did not hear back but numerous media outlets are reporting that EPA plans to end Energy Star as part of its broader reorganization. According to Reuters, the proposed end of the popular program would come as part of the dissolution of the EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Protection (OAP) and the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
To other sources, EPA declined to comment specifically on Energy Star but said, “EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people.”
Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said ending the program would raise costs for consumers. “Let’s be clear: Cutting the popular Energy Star program—which helps everyday households and businesses save on their energy bills—would mark another rash attempt by this administration to line the pockets of billionaires and utility companies at the expense of hardworking Americans.”
A Truly Positive Environmental Impact
An article about Energy Star in Mother Jones, stated the following: “Our favorite Democratic Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, told Grist this week, ‘Energy Star has saved American families and businesses more than half a trillion dollars in energy costs, By eliminating this program, [the president] will force Americans to buy appliances that cost more to run and waste more energy.’”
The Energy Star program has typically enjoyed bipartisan support, and its elimination “may face headwinds as the budget process goes forward,” said Frank Maisano, a senior principal at Bracewell.
Energy Star is part of the DNA of every energy-related sustainability initiative in our industry. It is a big mistake to shut it down. It makes as much sense as letting go every member of the Philadelphia Eagles after it had won the Super Bowl.
Your thoughts? I would love to hear from you at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers, and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in our Green Supplier Spotlights!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes the Wednesday Green Supplier Spotlight and Thursday Green Suppliers Spotlight. Green Supplier Spotlight features just one vendor and Green Suppliers Spotlight features multiple vendors. Click here for a Green Supplier Spotlight sample and rate sheet. Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample and rate sheet. Both e-blasts that reach 19,540 subscribers have been built to generate quick leads. A report is sent a week after each e-blast that includes the number of e-mails sent, number of opens, and number of click-throughs. Contact Glenn Hasek at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com for more information.
Planning Advertising for 2025?
In addition to the Spotlight ads described above, Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for other advertising spots for 2025. Many excellent spots are available on our website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. The Green Lodging News website just set a traffic record last month with 63,531 different visitors. Interested in receiving a 2025 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlights currently stands at 19,540. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,641 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has more than 1,300 Facebook followers.
As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
