Your ENERGY STAR Score Explained: What It Means for NYC Buildings

What Is an ENERGY STAR Score?

An ENERGY STAR score is a 1–100 rating assigned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that measures a building's energy efficiency relative to similar buildings across the country. The score is calculated inside ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager after a full year of energy data has been entered.

• Score of 1: Performs worse than 99% of comparable buildings nationally
• Score of 50: Median performance (50th percentile)
• Score of 75 or above: Qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification (top 25% nationally)
• Score of 100: Among the most efficient buildings in the country

How Is the Score Calculated?

The ENERGY STAR score is a percentile rank based on statistical regression modeling. It compares your building's Source Energy Use Intensity (Source EUI) against a national reference population of similar buildings, with statistical adjustments for:

• Climate and weather (using heating and cooling degree days for your location)
• Operating hours per week
• Number of occupants or workers
• Plug load intensity (for office buildings)
• Number of computer monitors (for some building types)
• Building type and primary use

These adjustments ensure that a hospital in Minnesota is compared fairly against other hospitals in cold climates — not against an unoccupied warehouse in Florida.

What Is Source EUI?

The ENERGY STAR score uses Source EUI — not Site EUI — for its calculations. Source EUI accounts for the full energy required to generate and deliver energy to your building, including upstream losses at power plants and in transmission lines.

This matters because electricity from the grid carries significant upstream losses (roughly 2–3 kBtu of source energy per kBtu of electricity delivered to a building in NYC). Buildings that are heavy electricity consumers tend to have higher Source EUI than their Site EUI alone would suggest.

Not All Buildings Can Get a Score

ENERGY STAR score models exist only for certain building types. As of 2026, scores are available for approximately 20 building types, including:

• Office
• Multifamily housing (low-rise and mid/high-rise)
• Hotel/lodging
• Retail store / supermarket
• Hospital / medical office
• K–12 school / college/university
• Warehouse and distribution center
• Data center

Buildings with use types not covered by a score model (e.g., parking garages, some industrial facilities) still file LL84 data in ESPM but will show "N/A" for ENERGY STAR score in the city's public disclosure.

Why Does the Score Matter for NYC Buildings?

Beyond the certification benefit, the ENERGY STAR score matters for NYC buildings for several reasons:

• Public disclosure: NYC discloses your score on its Open Data portal. Tenants, lenders, and prospective buyers use this data to evaluate buildings.
• LL97 correlation: Buildings with low ENERGY STAR scores typically have high GHG emissions relative to their size — meaning they are more likely to face LL97 fines.
• Financing and insurance: Green building lenders and some insurers use ENERGY STAR scores as underwriting factors for energy efficiency financing products.
• Marketing: Buildings with scores of 75+ can apply for ENERGY STAR certification, a recognizable third-party credential for prospective tenants.

How to Improve Your Score

Because the score is based on normalized energy use, improvements come from reducing energy consumption in ways that are not explained by changes in occupancy or weather. High-impact measures for NYC multifamily and office buildings include:

• Boiler and HVAC controls upgrades
• Building envelope air sealing and insulation
• LED lighting retrofits with occupancy controls
• Steam trap maintenance and heat distribution balancing
• Tenant engagement programs to reduce plug load and after-hours usage

Tracking Your Score Over Time

EnergiDash displays your ENERGY STAR score alongside year-over-year trend data for every property in your connected ESPM portfolio. You can see whether your score is trending up, down, or flat — and compare performance across all buildings in your portfolio without manual ESPM exports.