In partnership with the US Environmental Agency, ENERGY STAR recently released a report regarding renewable energy in US commercial buildings. With data compiled from the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, the report not only notes the way win which buildings report onsite generation of renewable energy, but also how these trends have changed in the past decade.
Of the properties documented in Portfolio Manager, California had the highest number of properties using onsite renewable energy with 981 properties, with the next highest state being Colorado with 164 properties. New York and New Jersey also ranked highly in the number of properties using onsite renewable energy, while Nevada had the highest percentage of onsite renewable energy properties. Some of the factors causing this are supportive state-level policies and differences in building type and density.
On average, ENERGY STAR scores for properties reporting onsite renewable energy is higher when compared to other properties. About 20% of these buildings are able to generate more than half of their total electricity needs. The factors that determine electricity needs are greatly dependent on the type of building and other factors such as the ratio of roof size to floor area.
