Senior Care facilities that perform in the top 25% of facilities nationwide for energy efficiency levels set by the EPA are now eligible for the Energy Star certification.
Nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities) and assisted living facilities are eligible, but independent senior living communities are not eligible under this definition said Energy Star. However, it is common for some Senior Care Facilities to offer a mix of residential options including independent living along with some form of assisted living.
“In these situations, more than 50% of the units in a community must be considered skilled nursing or assisted living in order to be eligible as a Senior Care Facility,” according to the website. “Facilities with more than 50% independent living units cannot earn a rating under this model and should benchmark using the Multifamily space type in Portfolio Manager.”
In order to compute the new rating, buildings must enter 12 consecutive months of measured energy use for all fuel types and the following 12 operational parameters:
- Gross floor area
- Total Number of Units
- Average Number of Residents
- Total Resident Capacity
- Workers on Main Shift
- Number of PCs owned by the community (does not include PCs owned by residents)
- Number of Commercial Refrigeration/Freezer Units
- Number of Commercial Washing Machines
- Number of Residential Washing Machines
- Number of Residential Electronic Lift Systems
- Percent of the Gross Floor Area that is Heated
- Percent of the Gross Floor Area that is Cooled
ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $18 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 33 million vehicles.
For more information, see here.