April 22 is Earth Day, an annual event to demonstrate support and raise awareness for environmental protection and stewardship. Franchised dealerships across the country are committed to environmental protection and energy efficiency. In the spirit of this commitment, dealers are making continuous improvements to increase the energy efficiency of their facilities. These investments include targeted reductions of electricity used for lighting, heating/cooling, and machinery.

As Earth Day is upon us, NADA is excited to highlight our partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program to promote these energy efficiency practices. Currently more than 5,000 dealers are benchmarking their energy use through the EPA’s Portfolio Manager tool. ENERGY STAR certification recognizes businesses for outstanding cost-saving, energy efficient initiatives.

Before franchised car and truck dealerships can obtain ENERGY STAR certification, NADA must collect baseline comparative nationwide data on dealership energy use. NADA is calling on dealers to help by having an office or facilities manager complete the voluntary, 20-minute survey on their dealership’s energy use.

Once NADA receives the valid energy survey responses needed, NADA and EPA will create an ENERGY STAR certification baseline for franchised dealerships, allowing dealers to compare their energy performance with that of other dealerships nationwide in a simple, easy-to-understand report. All dealers will be able to use the report to target areas where future energy-use reductions – and cost savings – can be made. And, top-performing dealerships may be eligible for the coveted ENERGY STAR certification.

Help with this important project by taking the survey today! The deadline to complete the survey is Saturday, June 5, 2021. If you have more than one dealership location, please fill out a separate survey for as many locations as possible. Please email any questions to energysurvey@nada.org.