Few logos are as recognizable as the ENERGY STAR® symbol. It is one of the most influential energy certifications in the country, and over 90% of survey respondents say they consider it when making decisions. With just a small sticker placed on the side of an appliance, consumers know instantly how energy efficient and economical that unit is. Armed with that knowledge, they can purchase more efficient devices, confident that they’re making an informed and environmentally conscious choice.

But ENERGY STAR is more than just a company that rates appliances. ENERGY STAR also deploys a unique portfolio for any residence or commercial building, creating an energy use profile and identifying key areas for improvement. That portfolio builds on information gleaned from utility bills and energy usage reports, making ENERGY STAR a perfect fit for a utility bill management company.

UMC is proud to provide ENERGY STAR benchmarking services to our customers. As an ENERGY STAR Service and Product Provider or SPP, using EnergyCap’s award winning utility bill accounting and energy management software, UMC can submit your building energy data directly to the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Using the information from your utility bills, ENERGY STAR will create an energy use portfolio and determine your building’s ENERGY STAR rating. You’ll be able to see at a glance how well you are achieving your environmental goals.

Once you know your building’s energy efficiency and identify key areas for improvement, the team at UMC can work with you to improve any weaknesses. UMC’s goal is to work with you, assessing, improving, and maintaining your building’s ENERGY STAR rating. At the end of the process is the goal of being fully ENERGY STAR certified.

The pursuit of certification begins with getting a rating or score on your building. A building must have a minimum rating of 75 before one can even apply for certification. Being certified is a goal for some (i.e. office buildings) because it can help with leasing. However, owners and operators in other verticals benefit from simply having ratings on their facilities. See the link for some additional information.

ENERGY STAR uses utility bill data to categorize buildings, separating them by the estimated room for improvement. Extremely inefficient buildings might require more expensive fixes but can see the greatest efficiency gains. Mildly inefficient buildings can benefit from innovative, low-cost ways to improve energy efficiency. Buildings that score highly are the hardest to improve, but offer impressive energy efficiency already.

Regardless of the category, UMC works with ENERGY STAR to keep your buildings energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

ENERGY STAR is also a great way to be sure you are complying with government benchmarks. Tracking utility bill information allows UMC to calculate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). With the ENERGY STAR program and EnergyCAP software, companies can analyze their own carbon footprint and allocate resources to reduce GHG emissions and meet required benchmarks.

ENERGY STAR and EnergyCAP both track direct and indirect GHG emissions, providing the full emissions profile for any property.

UMC is proud to be an ENERGY STAR certified service and product provider.