Green Power Partnership Scope
When joining the Green Power Partnership, you have the flexibility to choose whether your entire organization, or just a portion of it, becomes a Partner. This flexibility provides organizations the opportunity to refine their green power procurement strategy as they expand their commitment over time.
There are two partnership levels for consideration:
- Organization-wide (U.S. operations only)
- Facility level or a logical aggregation of facilities less than organization-wide
When joining at the facility level, EPA only recognizes the participating sub-entity as the Green Power Partner. An aggregation of facilities must be based on a logical rationale that allows EPA to list the Partner commitment accordingly. Facility-level Partners are not eligible for the Green Power Leadership Club or the 100% Green Power Users list.
Partners with branded franchises must state clearly in any public disclosure whether the purchase scope includes such franchise facilities. EPA requires this disclosure since franchised facilities not owned by a Partner may still be branded with the Partner's name, and as a result, a Partner's claim of using green power may give the impression that similarly branded but independently operated facilities are also using green power.
For businesses using rented or leased space, the party who owns the RECs may make environmental claims. This will avoid both the lessor and the lessee making claims on the same green power. However, both renter and owner may buy green power for a single facility in order to make the same green claim about that facility.
Estimating Electricity Use
To determine your electricity use, work with your electricity supplier to assess the annual electricity use (in kilowatt-hours) at your chosen partnership level (i.e., a facility, logical aggregation of facilities, or all U.S.-based facilities). Organizations can also use a recent utility bill to estimate their projected electricity use.
Organizations that have no access to, or control over, their electricity use or billing data (e.g., leased space) can estimate their total electricity use based on square footage. To do so, multiply the total square footage of your chosen scope of partnership by a factor of 14.9 kilowatt-hours per square foot per year. This is the national average for U.S. commercial buildings of all types.
For additional information on partnership scope, please review the Partnership Requirements.