ICMA and the ENERGY STAR program provided a webinar to ICMA members on February 24th on EPA’s ENERGY STAR resources and how they have been used in Kansas City, Missouri to support internal and external energy efficiency.  ENERGY STAR covered a variety of resources available to local governments including:

• The benefits of becoming an ENERGY STAR Partner
• The basics of ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager®
• How to launch a local energy efficiency campaign
• How to gain recognition with ENERGY STAR certification

Afterwards, Kansas City presented on how they have used ENERGY STAR and other sustainability strategies to increase energy efficiency in their community and municipal operations.  Starting with the development of their Climate Protection Plan, Kansas City has been a leader in promoting a more energy efficient community.  They participate in the City Energy Project and Mayor James has issued his own energy challenge to building owners and managers encouraging them to benchmark building energy consumption.  But Kansas City doesn’t just encourage others to become more energy efficient, they lead by example.  Using Portfolio Manager and real-time monitoring, they have been able to decrease not just energy consumption but also energy costs significantly.  In case you missed it, you can now view the full webinar and slides online.