Yesterday, the EPA announced a list of 25 cities with the greatest number of ENERGY STAR certified buildings. Receiving ENERGY STAR certification is no easy feat and therefore these 25 cities, as well as other metropolises with certified buildings, should be congratulated for their efforts and stand as models for others.
ENERGY STAR® is a joint program under the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) designed to help local governments, business, and residents save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Over 8,200 buildings (a combination of governmental and commercial) were awarded EPA energy star certification in 2012 to contribute to the total 20,000+ buildings with certification nationwide. “By the end of 2012, more than 20,000 Energy Star certified buildings across America have helped save nearly $2.7 billion in annual utility bills and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to emissions from the annual energy use of more than two million homes”[EPA].
As the table below shows, Los Angeles has the most energy star certified buildings for the fifth year in a row!
It should be restated that these numbers are comprised of governmental and commercial buildings. While commercial purposes are currently more popular, local governments nationwide are beginning to ramp up their efforts and take advantage of this program, recognizing energy efficiency as a viable option to reduce taxpayers’ dollars.
Energy Efficiency on a Local Government Level
The transition to more energy efficient buildings can dramatically reduce energy costs and also lessen the impact on the environment by decreasing the level of greenhouse gas emissions. Seeing the benefits of energy efficiency is one thing but figuring out how to implement a plan is another, and that is where ENERGY STAR comes into play.
Local governments can partner with ENERGY STAR to receive a bounty of tools and recourses, including Portfolio Manager, a platform that tracks and stores valuable information about buildings’ energy performance and water usage. This tool is often utilized as a method of benchmarking where individuals can view where they stand in terms of their energy goals, or for setting priorities by recognizing which buildings have the most room for improvement.
Eligible buildings are then given an energy performance score and only buildings with a rating of 75 or above can apply to be ENERGY STAR Certified, meaning they meet a certain number of requirements and produce a maximum amount of energy per square foot.
ICMA Center for Sustainable Communities recently conducted an interview with the Energy and sustainability Managers of the City of Charlotte (ranked #14) to learn more about the efforts being done in their governmental buildings. In 2009, their 400,000 square feet main Government Plaza was awarded Energy Star rating after a decade of tracking and retrofitting. The city had been using an energy management database for a number of years before switching over to ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager and had utilized this data to instigate retrofits in the Government Plaza. Over the past ten years, this central building has achieved an energy reduction of nearly 30 percent. Charlotte is strongly considering pursuing energy star certification for multiple other municipal buildings.
 Charlotte's Government Center |
In terms of both commercial and governmental energy reductions; the EPA press release states that charlotte’s energy star certified buildings “represent more than 17 million square feet and will save more than $15 million annually in energy costs while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions of 10,800 homes a year.”
The June edition of PM Magazine will contain an article detailing the interview with Charlotte.
More resources:
Under the EPA, the State and Local Climate and Energy Program has released a guidebook to aid local governments design and implement Green House Gas Reduction programs. Covered topics include solid waste and materials management, energy efficiency, transportation, community planning and design, and renewable energy. This easy-to-read guide provides actionable information as well as case studies highlighting strategies that communities have use to reduce GHG emissions and save money.
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