If your property includes parking that is not sub-metered and you include it when benchmarking, Portfolio Manager will estimate your parking energy use (based on the type of parking and square footage) and subtract it from the property’s total energy use before calculating your score. This results in an assessment of your property’s energy performance without considering parking. Note - the ENERGY STAR score is the ONLY metric that is adjusted for parking; all other metrics including Site and Source Energy include parking energy if it is not sub-metered and excluded when benchmarking.
Portfolio Manager’s parking estimates are based on engineering assumptions for lighting, ventilation, and heating. We update these estimates periodically as industry standards for technology, design and operation evolve and as better engineering estimates become available. For example, in the past decade LED lighting has superseded HID as the dominant lighting source for parking.
All U.S. ENERGY STAR score models (except Vehicle Dealerships) currently use EPA’s 2018 Parking Adjustments, which are based on 2013 ASHRAE lighting power allowances. To limit disruption, EPA will update the parking estimates to ASHRAE's 2022 data for all other ENERGY STAR scores in 2025 as part of the comprehensive model updates.
The 2022 ASHRAE lighting power allowances are now available and better reflect the prevalence of LED lighting in use today.
The ENERGY STAR score for vehicle dealerships was introduced in November of 2023 and was the first to use the updated 2023 parking estimates.
| Property Type | Parking Adjustment currently Used | Current Model Release Date | Plan for Parking Update | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Dealership | EPA's 2023 Parking reference data | November 2023 | Parking is currently based on ASHRAE 2022 (EPA's 2023 Parking reference data). | |
| Bank Branch Courthouse Distribution Center Financial Office Hotel House of Worship K-12 Schools Non-refrigerated Warehouse Office Refrigerated Warehouse Retail Store Supermarket Wholesale Club/Supercenter |
EPA's 2018 Parking reference data | August 2018 (CBECS) | Parking will be updated with score updates planned for 2025. | |
| Convenience Stores | EPA's 2018 Parking reference data | March 21, 2023 | 2025 | |
| Data Centers | EPA's 2018 Parking reference data | June 2010 | 2025 | |
| Hospital Medical Office |
EPA's 2018 Parking reference data | Feb 2021 |
2025 | |
| Multifamily Housing | EPA's 2018 Parking reference data | September 2014 | 2025 | |
| Residence Hall/Dormitory | EPA's 2018 Parking reference data | 2004 (not eligible for certification) | 2025 | |
| Senior Living Communities | EPA's 2018 Parking reference data | March 2011 | 2025 | |
| Single Family Homes | EPA's 2018 Parking reference data | N/A – There are no parking adjustments for this score. | ||
| Wastewater Treatment Plants | EPA's 2018 Parking reference data | 2007 (not eligible for certification) | 2025 |
For more details on the parking adjustment, see our Parking Technical Reference.
All Canadian score models updated their parking adjustment in August 2023.