The Real Estate Roundtable (RER) joined a broad coalition of organizations representing the consumer products, manufacturing, real estate, and retail sectors this week to support the Department of Energy’s (DOE) new role as lead federal agency for ENERGY STAR, following the recent Memorandum of Agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (RER News Release, March 31 | Memorandum of Agreement, March 3)

ENERGY STAR Coalition Letter

• In a coalition letter sent this week to DOE, the groups said they look forward to collaborating with the agency to ensure an effective transition that maintains and evolves the voluntary ENERGY STAR public-private partnership. (Letter, March 30 | PoliticoPro, March 31)

• The coalition emphasized that DOE is well-positioned to lead a modernized ENERGY STAR program that continues to provide consumers and businesses with access to efficient products and buildings with the performance they have come to expect from the ENERGY STAR brand.

• The letter also reaffirmed strong support for keeping ENERGY STAR within the federal government. (Letter, March 30)

• “Our longstanding partnership with the federal government’s ENERGY STAR program remains a top priority as DOE assumes the lead implementation role,” said RER's President & CEO Jeffrey D. DeBoer. “DOE has the data, talent, lab research, and other resources to run all facets of ENERGY STAR efficiently and effectively. Down the years, ENERGY STAR for buildings has saved families and businesses hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, and helps create greater capacity on the grid to boost economic growth. We will continue to partner in the evolution of ENERGY STAR to support the economic growth in our buildings, plants, and consumer products.” (RER News Release, March 31)

• Congress provided approximately $33 million for ENERGY STAR to EPA in the FY’26 appropriations bill (H.R. 6938), signed into law on Jan. 23, preserving the program through Sept. 30 following earlier reports that it could be privatized or defunded. (Roundtable Weekly, Jan. 9 | Utility Dive, March 10) 

• Additionally, the letter noted that the program has helped save families and businesses more than $500 billion in energy costs since 1992. (Letter, March 30)

Roundtable View

• RER has long made the business case for ENERGY STAR and, with coalition partners, emphasized that it is a federal program required by law—not one that can be privatized or operated outside the U.S. government by agency decree. (Roundtable Weekly, Mar. 6)

• Last year, RER joined dozens of industry groups in a letter to Congress to support the ENERGY STAR. The multi-industry letter cited federal statutes that compel ENERGY STAR to be a program run by federal agencies, with DOE and EPA authorized to assign program responsibilities between themselves. (Roundtable Weekly, Jun. 6, 2025). 

• “DOE has always been a key part of the ENERGY STAR ecosystem and is ideally suited to assume the role as the program’s primary steward and ensure its vitality and progress forward,” said RER’s Sustainability Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC) Chair Anthony E. Malkin (Chairman and CEO, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.).

• “ENERGY STAR has long enhanced the profitability of buildings and established a voluntary reporting structure for real estate assets. It helps our industry attract investors from all over the world to the United States. ENERGY STAR works better than any other building energy ‘label’ on the market because it is grounded in quantifiable metrics and deploys standard software geared to save money on utility bills and avoid wasted energy,” added Malkin.

• Malkin continued, “Our industry coalition with leading organizations in the real estate, manufacturing, consumer tech, and retail sectors will continue to advocate to Congress and the Executive branch the critical role ENERGY STAR plays to advance America’s energy dominance and global competitiveness.”

RER will continue working with policymakers and aligned stakeholders to help ensure a smooth and productive transition for ENERGY STAR.