Glossary

ENERGY STAR Score

Also known as: Energy Star rating, Portfolio Manager score

A 1-100 percentile ranking of a building's energy efficiency relative to similar U.S. properties, generated through the EPA's Portfolio Manager tool from twelve months of actual utility consumption data; a score of 75 or higher qualifies a building for ENERGY STAR certification.

Because the ENERGY STAR score is normalized for building type, size, climate, occupancy, and operating hours, it allows direct efficiency comparisons across a portfolio in ways that raw energy-use-intensity (EUI) figures cannot. Underwriters and asset managers use it to benchmark acquisition targets, satisfy municipal energy-benchmarking ordinances (mandatory in many major U.S. cities), and support green-certified loan pricing. Unlike LEED, which can certify a building based on design intent before it opens, the ENERGY STAR score is derived entirely from measured, historical utility bills, making it a trailing indicator of actual operating performance rather than design potential — a distinction that matters when comparing a newly delivered 'green' building against a well-managed older asset.