Overview:
-While the EPA has yet to confirm the shutdown, the potential loss of Energy Star Portfolio Manager could disrupt local climate efforts in Detroit and Ann Arbor.
-Commercial and multifamily buildings over 25,000 square feet in Detroit must begin submitting annual usage data this year.
-Without Energy Star, "The Detroit 2030 District, the DTE Energy Data Hub, and the City of Detroit would have to completely update their processes and find another solution," says the Detroit 2030 District's program manager.
The Trump administration is moving to eliminate the federal Energy Star program, a decades-old initiative that promotes energy efficiency in appliances and buildings. According to an internal EPA reorganization plan, the proposal would dissolve the offices that operate Energy Star as part of a broader shakeup targeting the agency’s air pollution programs.
The EPA has not directly confirmed that the program will be shut down, but described the changes in an emailed statement to Planet Detroit as “organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the agency’s core mission, while Powering the Great American Comeback.”
Environmental and consumer advocates warn the plan could jeopardize local climate initiatives and building decarbonization efforts, especially in places like Detroit and Ann Arbor, where Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager platform is a cornerstone of building energy policies.
The program offers a free benchmarking tool that allows anyone to create an account, build a property profile, and begin tracking energy and water usage and cost. Users can compare their building’s performance with similar buildings in the dataset. Buildings with a high performance score can qualify for Energy Star Certification.
Energy Star Portfolio Manager is the central tool used to benchmark buildings under the energy and water reporting ordinances in both Detroit and Ann Arbor. Grand Rapids operates a voluntary program. In Detroit, commercial and multifamily buildings over 25,000 square feet must begin submitting annual usage data in 2025 to comply with the city’s benchmarking and transparency law. Benchmarking data is due June 1, according to the city’s website.
To comply with Detroit’s ordinance, building owners must input their energy and water data into Portfolio Manager and link their property profile to the city’s account using a unique Detroit Building ID.
“This is required for compliance,” said Kendal Kuneman, Executive Director of the Detroit 2030 District, a private-public partnership that’s coordinating with building owners on data collection on behalf of the city. “Building owners and managers use the program to measure their building’s energy.”
The same tool underpins the Michigan Battle of the Buildings, which celebrated its 2024 winners this week in Grand Rapids. The competition honors top-performing buildings that cut energy use and emissions, and all entries are verified through data from Portfolio Manager.
A gateway to energy efficiency
In recent months, the Detroit 2030 District has hosted in-person “data jams” across the city to help building owners set up Portfolio Manager accounts and comply with the new ordinance. Although some participants arrive confused or frustrated by the reporting requirement, many leave with a better understanding of energy efficiency and how benchmarking can help them reduce costs, Kuneman said.
“Benchmarking truly begins the initial conversation around energy efficiency,” she said, noting that outreach efforts often lead to deeper discussions about available resources and next steps for building performance improvements.
The Washtenaw 2030 District also relies heavily on Portfolio Manager. “We currently have 833 properties that are benchmarking with us using Energy Star Portfolio Manager,” said Jan Culbertson, the district’s operations lead. “It’s just a very useful program.”
The tool’s national database, which aggregates data across climate zones and building types, makes it uniquely powerful, Culbertson said. Without it, districts would be siloed, with no way to compare performance across regions.
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Ripple effects and limited alternatives
If the federal government pulls the plug, Detroit and Ann Arbor — as well as their partners at DTE Energy — would need to overhaul data collection and reporting systems.
“The Detroit 2030 District, the DTE Energy Data Hub, and the City of Detroit would have to completely update their processes and find another solution,” Kuneman said.
DTE spokesperson Brynn Guster said the company uses Energy Star to “help build customer awareness on the benefits of energy efficiency.” She noted that no changes have been made official, so the company has no comment at this time.
Some alternative platforms exist. The district and its partners have used tools like ClearlyEnergy, BEAM, and Buildee for supplemental analysis and data integration, Kuneman said. She emphasized that these platforms are not free and often still rely on Portfolio Manager for core benchmarking functions.
Kuneman shared a recent update from BEAM’s developers, which said EPA staff have committed to maintaining the platform through the end of the current fiscal year (September 2025) and are exploring options to preserve it longer. “A complete shutdown of ESPM without notice is highly unlikely,” they wrote.
Local districts are preparing for all scenarios. The 2030 Districts Network, which includes chapters in the U.S. and Canada, is coordinating a response, and Michigan-based members plan to discuss the issue further during a meeting next week.
“Portfolio Manager is the industry standard for benchmarking commercial buildings,” Kuneman said. “Other software exists, but it comes with a cost.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.