Dive Brief:
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President Barack Obama signed a law on Friday that will create a program similar to Energy Star for tenants of commercial buildings.
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Dubbed “Tenant Star,” the new program will be a voluntary certification and recognition program for commercial tenants and landlords who design and build high-efficiency leased office spaces. Like Energy Star, the new program will be jointly administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
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Office tenants can account for more than half of a building’s energy use, according to the Real Estate Roundtable’s Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee.
Dive Insight:
If Tenant Star is widely adopted, it could save businesses billions of dollars on utility bills and generate new jobs in the energy efficiency field, supporters have said.
The House of Representatives passed the bill on April 21 after the Senate's approval on March 27.