Using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to Track Energy Use and GHG Reductions

Using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to Track Energy Use and GHG Reductions | April 2023 | 1

Using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

to Track Energy Use and GHG Reductions

Guidance for the Health Sector

Introduction

On Earth Day 2022, the White House and HHS launched the Health Sector Climate Pledge, a voluntary commitment to climate resilience and

emissions reduction that includes cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Over

100 organizations representing almost 900 hospitals have joined the Health Sector Climate Pledge, demonstrating a commitment to sustain-

ability that the Inflation Reduction Act and other federal supports will help them pursue. Together with the federal health systems, these

organizations represent over 15% of domestic hospitals.

This document has been created to assist White House-HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge signatories and other interested health organiza-

tions in using the U.S. EPA’s free benchmarking tool ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® to track their building-related energy use and green-

house gas (GHG) emissions. While HHS encourages all health sector organizations, including those who have joined the pledge, to track and

share their progress, organizations are not obligated to submit their data to the federal government in association with the pledge initiative.

An Appendix is available to help different health care provider types learn how to designate their facility to be able to use the tool.

Since 1992, ENERGY STAR has helped American families and businesses avoid $500 billion in energy costs and achieve 4 billion metric tons

of GHG reductions.

Table of Contents

Use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to Track GHG Emission Reductions

Be Recognized for Your Success 2

For Leased Office Space 2

Portfolio Manager Quick Start Guide

Creating your Portfolio Manager account 3

Add a Property 4

Enter Energy Data 4

Set a Baseline and Target 5

View Results & Progress 6

Verify Energy Savings and Emissions Performance 6

Track Progress 7

Appendices

Classifying Your Building in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager 9

Common Space Types in Healthcare 12

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Use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to Track Energy Use and GHG Emissions Reductions

Portfolio Manager can help you inventory, track, and reduce the GHG emissions associated with the energy used by the buildings you own

or the space you lease. As you improve the energy efficiency of your property and increasingly use renewable power, progress toward

accomplishing your climate goal will be automatically calculated and tracked within Portfolio Manager using regional emission factors from

EPA’s industry-standard eGRID database.

Tracking energy performance first starts with setting a baseline and an emissions reduction goal. The Health Sector Climate Pledge allows

a baseline of no earlier than 2008; whatever baseline you set will require access to historic energy bills from that year to the present.

Be Recognized for Your Success

The most energy efficient buildings in the U.S. earn ENERGY STAR certification from

the EPA. ENERGY STAR certified properties emit 35% less GHGs and use 35% less

energy than similar buildings nationwide.

To be eligible for certification, a building must earn an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or

higher on EPA’s 1-100 scale, indicating that it performs better than at least 75 per-

cent of similar buildings nationwide. The score is based on actual energy use and is

calculated within Portfolio Manager.

Health Sector Climate Pledge signatories that own buildings may want to consider

setting a goal to achieve ENERGY STAR certification for all eligible building-types

in their portfolio. Healthcare building types eligible for ENERGY STAR certification

include General Medical and Surgical hospitals, critical access hospitals, children’s

hospitals, medical office buildings, and senior living communities. Eligible non-med-

ical building types include warehouses, offices, hotels, multi-family buildings, and

data centers.

Achieving ENERGY STAR certification can be a cost-effective way to demonstrate reduced GHG emissions and prepare the building for fur-

ther decarbonization through the generation or purchase of renewable power. Certification is also a way to demonstrate that your facility

adheres to the strict standards of the EPA and is verified by an independent third-party.

For Leased Office Space

ENERGY STAR Tenant Space™ is an EPA recognition for sustainability efforts in

your leased office space. Energy efficient office spaces can lead to lower utility

bills and fewer greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere. Does your orga-

nization lease office space within a multi-tenant building? Learn the eligibility

requirements, how to reduce GHG emissions in leased office space, and a list of all

locations nationwide that have earned this recognition.

Using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to Track Energy Use and GHG Reductions | April 2023 | 3

Portfolio Manager Quick Start Guide

EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool helps you measure and track the

energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of your buildings, all in a secure

no-cost online environment. You can use the results to identify under-per-

forming buildings, set investment priorities, verify efficiency improvements,

and receive EPA recognition for superior energy performance. Follow the

steps in this guide to get started using the new Portfolio Manager to bench-

mark your properties, assess performance, and view results.

What data is required to benchmark your property?

Use the Portfolio Manager Data Collection Worksheet tool to look up the

data needed to benchmark your property in Portfolio Manager. Apply the

building type you chose after reviewing Classifying Your Building in ENERGY

STAR Portfolio Manager in the Appendices of this document. Additionally, you

can create a PDF with this information that you can use as a data collection

worksheet.

STEP

Creating your Portfolio Manager account

To get started, log in to Portfolio Manager at www.energystar.gov/portfolio-

manager. Then, follow these instructions to create a property and to enter

property information.

1. Go to www.energystar.gov/buildings/benchmark/portfolio_manager_login

and choose the “Create Account” option.

2. Fill out the Account Information form and provide information about your-

self and your organization. When you’re finished, click Create My Account.

3. Activate account through the link sent to your chosen email. If you do not

see this email, please be sure to check your ‘spam’ folder.

NOTE: Accounts are not fully activated until you log in to the account for the

first time. If you do not log in to the account, the account may not appear in

searches.

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STEP

Add a Property

To get started, log in to Portfolio Manager at https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/benchmark/portfolio_manager_login. Then, follow these

instructions to create a property and to enter property information.

1. Click Add a Property on the MyPortfolio tab.

2. Select from the dropdown menu the building type that you chose after reviewing the “Classifying Your Building in ENERGY STAR Port-

folio Manager” in the Appendices of this document. Answer questions about your property and click Get Started!

3. Enter basic property information and select the boxes next to the statements that apply to your property. Then click Continue.

4. Enter Use Details such as Gross Floor Area (GFA), operating hours, and others as shown for each type of use. You can use default or

temporary values at this time and enter more accurate data later. NOTE: Mouse over the Use Detail to see a definition.

5. Click Add Property. When you have successfully added your property, you will see the property’s Summary tab.

If you have additional types of uses on the property, you can add them at any time.

1. Click the property’s Details tab, then select a Property Use Type from the Add Another Type of Use drop-down menu. Click Add.

2. Enter Use Details for the property and then click Save Use.

STEP

Enter Energy Data

To receive the most accurate picture of your building’s per-

formance, tell Portfolio Manager how much energy your

building consumes. Follow these steps to enter energy

data for your property.

1. Click on your property from the MyPortfolio tab,

then select the Energy tab.

2. Click Add A Meter.

3. Select the type(s) of energy used and the number of

meters to create and click Get Started!

4. Click on a meter to enter units and first bill date. If

this meter reflects a bulk fuel purchase for an energy meter, select the Enter as Delivery? checkbox.

5. Click the blue arrow next to each meter to expand the section on the Your Meter Entries page. Click Add Another Entry

under the meter and enter data. Check Estimation if you are not including measured data for the entry. You may also choose

to record cost here, too. Once you’re finished adding entries, click Continue.

6. Select the boxes of the meters that total your property’s energy or water use on the Select Meters to Include in Metrics page. Click

Apply Selections.

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STEP

Set a Baseline and Target

After inputting the energy and operational data for the property under the Details and Energy tabs, you can now set an energy reduc-

tion target for your individual buildings or leased space, and you’ll see the associated emissions associated with that target to assess

how close you’ll be to your goals.

Click on the Goals tab within the desired property.

Select Baselines or Target.

If you want to set targets for a portfolio of buildings, you can do so at any time.

1. Click on the MyPortfolio tab.

2. Select Set a Portfolio Baseline and/or target.

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STEP

View Results & Progress

It is easy for you to see trends and to track improvement for your entire

portfolio of buildings with a variety of standard graphs and reports in Port-

folio Manager, including Emissions Performance. Follow these steps to view

reports about your properties and to assess progress.

• Click the Reporting tab to view graphs and reports for a property or

portfolio.

• Click on the Charts & Graphs options to instantly see colorful graphs

of how your portfolio or group of properties is performing. You can print

graphs or download the images to incorporate into a presentation or

document.

• View the Reports & Templates section to see a list of available standard reports, including Performance Highlights, Energy Perfor-

mance, and GHG Emissions Performance. Select Generate New Report from the Action drop-down menu to create a spreadsheet.

• Portfolio Manager allows you to create an Emissions Performance Report. To generate the spreadsheet, you will need the loca-

tion-based greenhouse gas emissions metrics as well as the properties from your account that you would like to see in the spreadsheet.

Emissions are calculated by multiplying your site energy values by emissions factors. For step-by-step instructions on how to create a

custom GHG report in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, click here: https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/tools-and-resources/portfo-

lio-manager-custom-reporting-guide.

STEP

Verify Energy Savings and Emissions Performance

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Follow these steps to view your property’s Progress and Goals Report.

1. Click on the Reporting Tab and then select Progress and Goals Report in the ENERGY STAR Performance Documents window.

2. Select the Property (or Properties if benchmarking multiple build-

ings) from the dropdown list.

3. Select the Timeframe for Report(s) (choose ‘baseline year’ for

‘energy’)

4. Click on the Generate and Download Report(s) button.

Progress and Goals Report

To the right is a sample ENERGY STAR Progress and Goals Report, avail-

able through Portfolio Manager.

The sample hospital’s baseline year was set to 2019 with a baseline

emission of 17,984 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. The

hospital’s target was set at an emission level related to an ENERGY STAR

score of 75 - 15,780 metric tons per year.

When the report was run in 2022, the hospital was emitting 15,258 metric

tons per year, a 15.2% reduction.

STEP

Track Progress

The White House-HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge is a voluntary commitment to reduce emissions and improve climate resilience.

Signing organizations agree to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and develop and

release a climate resilience plan for continuous operations. Energy Star Portfolio Manager is an excellent tool for Pledge signatories and

other organizations to track their reduction of emissions and other important metrics.

To that end, the EPA and HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) created an optional Portfolio Manager report Pledge

signatories can use to record their progress. The report components listed below do not correspond exactly to the Pledge commitments,

but we believe these measurements will be interesting and relevant to signatories. We also understand that not all organizations will

have relevant data for all components. Metrics will appear as “N/A” if they are not applicable.

Importantly, the White House-HHS Pledge is a voluntary initiative and therefore organizations are not required to submit data to

the federal government in association with it. This document is meant simply to support organizations in tracking their progress and

sharing that is their prerogative. Below are optional report components.

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The report provides data that organizations can use to track the GHG emission reductions from their buildings which can be used for inter-

nal and external reporting or public relations. Reductions from other sources -- like transportation, medical gases, or supply chain -- must

be tracked separately on other systems at this time.

The following items are basic identifying information.

1. Property Name

2. Primary Property Type (Self-Selected)

The following items relate to the Pledge commitment to, at minimum, reduce organizational emissions by 50% by 2030 (from a baseline no

earlier than 2008) and achieve net-zero by 2050, publicly accounting for progress on this goal every year.

Energy Baseline Date

Energy Current Date

Total GHG Emissions

(Metric Tons CO2e)

Direct GHG Emissions (Metric Tons CO2e)

Indirect GHG Emissions (Metric Tons CO2e)

The following items relate to the Pledge commitment to share publicly your strategies for reducing on-site emissions (where relevant

addressing sources related to on-site energy usage, waste, anesthetic gases, vehicle fleets and refrigerants). We understand that not every

organization will have data for each of these items, but include them for those who wish to track their progress.

Source EUI (kBtu/ft²)

Green Power

ENERGY STAR Score

Total Waste (Disposed and Diverted) (Tons)

Diversion Rate (%)

The following items relate to the Pledge commitment to develop and release a climate resilience plan for continuous operations by the end of

2023. Extreme heat and cold are important considerations in planning for the impacts of climate change.

Cooling Degree Days (°F)

Heating Degree Days (°F)

Follow these steps to access this report:

1. Click the following link: https://portfoliomanager.energystar.gov/pm/reports/template/4284714/share/84aecaf8-8801-46f9-9ed4-

13f9ba1cdbce. You will then be taken to the Portfolio Manager login page, where you can either log in to your account if you are

already a user of Portfolio Manager, or you can create an account if you are a new user.

2. Log in to your Portfolio Manager account or create an account.

3. Select the “Reporting” tab and you will see the report template in your list of reports.

4. Select “Edit this Template” from the Action dropdown list next to the “Health Sector Climate Pledge Report.”

5. Select the timeframe for the report and the properties you would like to include, then click “Save Template.

6. Select “Generate New Report” from the Action dropdown list to generate your report and see your results.

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Appendix 1

Classifying Your Buildings in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

This guidance is intended to help health care facilities identify their appropriate property type in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager based on

their Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provider or supplier type. Portfolio Manager is an interactive resource management

tool that enables you to benchmark the energy use of any type of building, all in a secure online environment. Benchmarking means mea-

suring and comparing your building’s energy to similar buildings, past consumption, or a reference performance level. Nearly 25% of U.S.

commercial building space – including more than 3,500 hospitals – actively benchmark in Portfolio Manager, making it the industry-leading

benchmarking tool. It also serves as the national benchmarking tool in Canada.

This guidance may be particularly helpful for providers and suppli-

ers who have signed the White House / HHS Health Sector Climate

Pledge, committing to reduce organizational emissions by 50% by

2030 (from a baseline no earlier than 2008) and achieve net-zero

emissions by 2050. Pledge signatories have also committed to publicly

account for progress on this goal every year and develop and release

a climate resilience plan. Signatories can share their annual progress

using a custom report template that can be downloaded in Portfolio

Manager. Use of Portfolio Manager and the report are optional – and

pledge signatories are not obligated to submit their data to the federal

government - but HHS encourages signatories to consider leveraging

these exceptional tools.

For certain property types, Portfolio Manager offers comparative

rankings in the form of a 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR score, which com-

pares your property to similar properties nationwide, normalized for

size, weather, and operating characteristics. Property types that can

receive an ENERGY STAR score include General Medical and Surgical

hospitals, Medical Office Buildings, and Senior Living Communities.

Eligible non-medical building types include warehouses, offices,

hotels, multi-family buildings, and data centers. These property types

can correspond to many CMS providers and suppliers including Criti-

cal Access Hospitals, Home Health Agencies (HHAs), Long-Term Care

(LTC) Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities and Nursing Facilities), Rural

Health Clinics (RHCs), and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).

Building types that do not have a 1-100 score are compared to the

National Median.

Did You Know?

EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool also helps you

measure and track water use, waste and materials.

To learn more about Portfolio Manager, visit

www.energystar.gov/buildings/benchmark.

To get answers to your questions, visit

www.energystar.gov/buildingshelp.

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CMS PROVIDER OR

SUPPLIER TYPE

MAPS TO THIS ‘PROPERTY TYPE’ IN ENER-

GY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER

NOTES

Ambulatory Surgical

Center

Ambulatory Surgical Center

Benchmark under ‘Ambulatory Surgical Center’ only if your insti-

tution occupies the entire building. To learn what spaces should

be included when calculating Gross Floor Area, click the link in

the previous column.

Clinics, Rehabilita-

tion Agencies, and

Public Health Agen-

cies as Providers of

Outpatient Phys-

ical Therapy and

Speech-Language

Pathology Services

If primarily offering unscheduled urgent care:

Urgent Care/Clinic/Other outpatient

If primarily providing rehabilitation and physical

therapy: Outpatient Rehabilitation/Physical

Therapy

If space is primarily used for public services

rather than patient care: Other - Public Ser-

vices

If primarily providing outpatient physician

services, Medical Office building

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the link in the previous column.

Community Mental

Health Centers

Medical Office Building

If your organization owns the medical office building or leases

space within a building, you can benchmark as a medical office.

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the link in the previous column.

Comprehensive

Outpatient Rehabili-

tation Facilities

Medical Office Building

If your organization owns the medical office building or leases

space within a building, you can benchmark as a medical office.

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the link in the previous column.

Critical Access

Hospitals

Major type: Hospital

Subtype: General, Medical, and Surgical

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, the link in the previous column.

End-Stage Renal

Disease (ESRD)

Facilities

Medical Office Building

If your organization owns the medical office building or leases

space within a building, you can benchmark as a medical office.

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the link in the previous column.

Home Health Agen-

cies

Office

If your organization owns the office building or leases office

space within a building, you can benchmark as an office. To

learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the link in the previous column.

Hospices

For inpatient hospices: Residential Care Facility

For hospices that only provide in-home care:

Office

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the appropriate link in the previous column.

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CMS PROVIDER OR

SUPPLIER TYPE

MAPS TO THIS ‘PROPERTY TYPE’ IN ENER-

GY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER

NOTES

Hospitals

For hospitals that bill on the Inpatient Prospec-

tive Patient System: Hospital

Subtype: General, Medical, and Surgical

(OR)

For other hospitals like Inpatient Rehabilitation

Facilities and Long-Term Care Hospitals: Other –

specialty hospital

Healthcare systems taking the HHS pledge may want to consider

benchmarking, tracking, and sharing GHG emissions from all the

buildings owned by the hospital including (not a comprehensive

list):

1. Hospital

2. Medical offices and administrative offices

3. Clinics

4. Warehouses

5. Hotel

6. Multi-family building

7. Data center

Intermediate Care

Facilities for Individ-

uals with Intellectu-

al Disabilities

Residential Care Facility

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the link in the previous column.

Long Term Care

(LTC) Facilities

(Skilled Nursing fa-

cilities and nursing

facilities)

If serving patients of all ages: Residential Care

Facility

If serving seniors only, Senior Living Community

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the link in the previous column. This building

type can be used for facilities that care for younger populations.

Organ Procurement

Organizations

Office

If your organization owns the office building or leases office

space within a building, you can benchmark as an office. To

learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click link in the previous column.

Programs of All-In-

clusive Care for the

Elderly (PACE)

For PACE organizations that provide in-home

care: Office

For PACE organizations that provide medical,

therapeutic, ancillary, and social support ser-

vices at a PACE center: Medical Office Building

If your institution owns the building or leases space within a

building, you can benchmark as an office or medical office. To

learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the appropriate link in the previous column.

Psychiatric resi-

dential treatment

facilities

Major type: Hospital

Subtype: Other – specialty hospital

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the link in the previous column.

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CMS PROVIDER OR

SUPPLIER TYPE

MAPS TO THIS ‘PROPERTY TYPE’ IN ENER-

GY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER

NOTES

Religious Nonmed-

ical Health Care

Institutions

Office

If your institution owns the office building or leases office

space within a building, you can benchmark as an office. To

learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area click the link in the previous column.

Rural Health Clinics

(RHCs) and Federal-

ly Qualified Health

Centers (FQHCs)

If primarily providing outpatient physician

services: Medical Office Building

If primarily offering unscheduled urgent care:

Urgent Care/Clinic/Other outpatient

If coordinating mobile or in-home services from

an office: Office

If the RHC or FQHC is housed in a mobile

structure and has no affiliated office or building

location, it is not possible to use Portfolio Man-

ager at this time.

To learn what spaces should be included when calculating Gross

Floor Area, click the appropriate link in the previous column.

Transplant Centers Not applicable

Since they are located ‘within hospitals’ they are not likely to be

separately metered, so no specific tracking is available. Their op-

erations (and GHGs) are aggregated in the overall hospital EUI.

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Ambulatory Surgical Center

 Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC) refers to health care

facilities that provide same-day surgical care, including

diagnostic and preventive procedures. This property type is for

stand-alone ASCs that are not located within a Medical Office

building.

 Gross Floor Area should include all space within the building(s)

including offices, operating and recovery rooms, waiting rooms,

employee break rooms and kitchens, restrooms, elevator

shafts, stairways, mechanical rooms, and storage areas.

General Medical & Surgical Hospital

 Hospital refers to a general medical and surgical hospital

(including critical access hospitals and children’s hospitals).

These facilities provide acute care services including emergen-

cy medical care, physician’s office services, diagnostic care,

ambulatory care, surgical care, and limited specialty services

such as rehabilitation and cancer care. Hospitals must have

in-patient beds and offer overnight care.

 More than 50% of the GFA of all buildings must be used for

general medical and surgical services (not long-term acute

care, specialty care, or ambulatory surgical services).

 More than 50% of the licensed beds must provide acute care

services.

Hotel (Children’s Hospitals often have a Ronald McDonald House

for families at the hospital)

 Hotel refers to buildings renting overnight accommodations on

a room/suite and nightly basis, and typically include a bath/

shower and other facilities in guest rooms. Hotel properties

typically have daily services available to guests including

housekeeping/laundry and a front desk/concierge.

 Hotel does not apply to properties where more than 50% of the

floor area is occupied by fractional ownership units such as

condominiums or vacation timeshares, or to private residences

that are rented out on a daily or weekly basis. Hotel properties

should be majority-owned by a single entity and have rooms

available on a nightly basis. Condominiums or Timeshares

should select the Multifamily Housing property use.

 Gross Floor Area should include all interior space within the

building(s), including guestrooms, halls, lobbies, atriums, food

preparation and restaurant space, conference and banquet

space, fitness centers/spas, indoor pool areas, laundry facil-

ities, elevator shafts, stairways, mechanical rooms, storage

areas, employee break rooms, restrooms, and back-of-house

offices.

Medical Office

 Buildings used to provide diagnosis and treatment for medical,

dental, or psychiatric outpatient care.

 Gross Floor Area should include all space within the building

including offices, exam rooms, operating rooms for outpatient

surgical procedures, laboratories, lobbies, atriums, conference

rooms and auditoriums, employee break rooms and kitchens,

restrooms, elevator shafts, stairways, mechanical rooms, and

storage areas.

Non-Refrigerated Warehouse

 Unrefrigerated buildings that are used to store goods, manu-

factured products, merchandise or raw materials.

 Gross Floor Area should include all space within the build-

ing(s), including the main storage rooms, administrative office

offices, lobbies, stairways, restrooms, equipment storage

areas, and elevator shafts. This should not include exterior/

outdoor loading bays or docks.

Appendix 2

Common Property Types in Healthcare

Definitions and eligibility requirements for each healthcare property type:

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Office

 Office refers to buildings used to conduct commercial or gov-

ernmental business activities. This includes administrative and

professional offices.

 Gross Floor Area (GFA) should include all space within the

building(s) including offices, conference rooms and auditori-

ums, break rooms, restrooms, kitchens, lobbies, fitness areas,

basements, storage areas, stairways, and elevator shafts.

 If you have restaurants, retail, or services (dry cleaners) within

the Office, you should most likely include this square footage

and energy in the Office Property Use. There are 4 exceptions

to this rule when you should create a separate Property Use:

 If it is a Property Use Type that can get an ENERGY

STAR Score (note: Retail can only get a score if it is

greater than 5,000 square feet)

 If it accounts for more than 25% of the property’s GFA

 If it is a vacant/unoccupied Office

 If the Hours of Operation differ by more than 10 hours

from the main Property Use

Other: Public Services

 Buildings used by public-sector organizations to provide public

services other than those described in the available property

uses in Portfolio Manager (i.e. services other than offices,

courthouses, drinking water treatment and distribution plants,

fire stations, libraries, mailing centers or post offices, police

stations, prisons or incarceration facilities, social or meeting

halls, transportation terminals or stations, or wastewater

treatment plants).

 Gross Floor Area should include all space within the building(s),

including administrative space, kitchens used by staff, lobbies,

waiting areas, cafeterias, stairways, atriums, elevator shafts,

landscaping sheds, and storage areas.

Other: Specialty Hospital

 Other - Specialty Hospitals refers to long-term acute care hospi-

tals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, including Cancer Centers

and Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals/Facilities.

 Gross Floor Area should include all space within the building(s)

on the campus including: medical offices, patient rooms,

laboratories, lobbies, atriums, cafeterias, rest rooms, stairways,

corridors connecting buildings, storage areas, elevator shafts.

Outpatient Rehabilitation/Physical Therapy

 Outpatient Rehabilitation/Physical Therapy offices refers to

buildings used to provide diagnosis and treatment for rehabili-

tation and physical therapy.

 Gross Floor Area should include all space within the building(s)

including offices, exam rooms, waiting rooms, indoor pool

areas, atriums, employee break rooms and kitchens, rest rooms,

elevator shafts, stairways, mechanical rooms, and storage

areas.

Residential Care Facility

 Residential Care Facilities refers to buildings that provide

rehabilitative and restorative care to patients on a long-term or

permanent basis. Residential Care Facilities treat mental health

issues, substance abuse, and rehabilitation for injury, illness,

and disabilities. This property type is intended for facilities that

offer long-term residential care to residents of all ages who

may be in need of assistance with activities of daily living. If a

facility is designed to provide nursing and assistance to seniors

only, then the Senior Living Community property type should be

used.

 Gross Floor Area should include all fully-enclosed space within

the exterior walls of the building(s) including individual rooms

or units, wellness centers, exam rooms, community rooms,

small shops or service areas for residents and visitors (e.g. hair

Using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to Track Energy Use and GHG Reductions | April 2023 | 15

salons, convenience stores), staff offices, lobbies, atriums, cafe-

terias, kitchens, storage areas, hallways, basements, stairways,

corridors between buildings, and elevator shafts. Open air

stairwells, breezeways, and other similar areas that are not

fully-enclosed should not be included in the gross floor area.

Senior Living Community

 Buildings that house and provide care and assistance for

elderly residents, specifically homes (skilled nursing facilities)

and assisted living facilities. It is NOT intended for retirement or

other senior communities that offer only independent living – a

community with only independent living should benchmark as

a Multifamily property.

 Gross Floor Area should include all fully-enclosed space within

the exterior walls of the building(s) including individual rooms

or units, wellness centers, exam rooms, community rooms,

small shops or service areas for residents and visitors (e.g. hair

salons, convenience stores), staff offices, lobbies, atriums, cafe-

terias, kitchens, storage areas, hallways, basements, stairways,

corridors between buildings, and elevator shafts. Open air

stairwells and other similar areas that are not fully-enclosed

should not be included in the gross floor area.

 It is common for Senior Living Communities to include a mix

of different living options, including both independent living,

assisted living, and/or skilled nursing. In these situations,

benchmarking guidance depends on the percent of living units

designated as skilled nursing/assisted living:

 If more than 50% of the units in a community are skilled

nursing and/or assisted living, the entire property should be

benchmarked as a Senior Living Community. You can use one

property use to characterize all activities at the community,

including any independent living that may be present.

 If 50% or more of the units are independent living, the property

should be benchmarked using both the Senior Living Commu-

nity and Multifamily property uses. In this situation, the floor

area of hallways and units for assisted living and any commu-

nity areas specifically used to assist residents (e.g. nursing

stations, exam rooms, physical therapy rooms, etc.) should be

benchmarked with the Senior Living Community property use.

The floor area of hallways and units for independent living

along with any open common areas that are used by residents

of both the independent and the nursing/assisted living units

(e.g. game rooms or restaurants) should be benchmarked with

the Multifamily property use.

Urgent Care/Clinic/Other Outpatient

 Urgent Care Center/Clinic/Other Outpatient Office refers to

buildings used to treat patients, usually on an unscheduled,

walk-in basis, who have an injury or illness that requires im-

mediate care but is not serious enough to warrant a visit to an

emergency department.

 Gross Floor Area should include all space within the building(s)

including offices, exam rooms, waiting rooms, atriums, em-

ployee break rooms and kitchens, rest rooms, elevator shafts,

stairways, mechanical rooms, and storage areas.

Warehouse: See Non-Refrigerated Warehouse above.