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The buildings in which we work, shop, seek healthcare, and educate our children use about $80 billion worth of energy each year. These buildings use much of their energy at peak times, helping to drive the need for new power generation and more natural gas. They also contribute about 20% of our national greenhouse gas emissions.

U.S. school districts spend $6 billion each year on energy, a cost second only to salaries. But the most energy efficient schools use three times less energy than the least efficient schools. Healthcare organizations also benefit by improving energy performance. For example, every $1 a non-profit health-care organization saves on energy is equivalent to $20 in new revenues for hospitals or $10 for medical offices.

It is time to make these buildings part of the energy efficiency solution–and help build a better world. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with business and community leaders, is challenging building managers across the country to improve the efficiency of their buildings by 10% or more. EPA estimates that if each building manager took on this challenge, by 2015 Americans would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 20 MMTCE, equivalent to the emissions from 15 million vehicles, while saving about $10 billion. Leaders across the country already are showing that energy use in buildings can be reduced by 10%, 20%, 30% and even more with proven practices and technologies that pay off financially and for our environment.

The ENERGY STAR Challenge calls on businesses and institutions across the country to take the right steps to identify the many buildings where financially attractive improvements can reduce energy use by 10% or more, and to make the improvements now through proven methods such as low-cost building tune-ups, lighting upgrades, and replacement of old equipment. These savings also reduce pollution and the emissions that contribute to global warming and demonstrate an organizational environmental commitment.

THREE KEY STEPS
The ENERGY STAR Challenge promotes three actions:

1) Determine How Much Energy Buildings Use - EPA offers a national energy performance rating system that scores a building’s energy efficiency on a scale of 1 to 100, relative to similar buildings across the country. Buildings with lower ratings are typically good candidates for improvement, as the low rating may reflect operational issues or outdated technology. The rating system is available for schools, acute care and children’s hospitals (including campuses) and medical office buildings, among others.

2) Establish Efficiency Improvement Goals - Establish an efficiency improvement goal of 10% or greater for a portfolio of hospitals within a health-care system or for as many hospitals as possible. The same standard should be applied to schools and facilities within any given school district.

3) Make Improvements - EPA will recognize organizations that make improvements to their portfolio of buildings and share their results. By meeting or beating their goals, companies and organizations are protecting our environment and improving their bottom line.

To date, 41 companies and organizations have already been designated as ENERGY STAR Leaders including Academy School District in Colorado, Rochester School District in New York, and New York Presbyterian Hospital. By taking the Challenge and improving the energy efficiency of America’s medical facilities and school buildings, we will reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while saving money.

For more details about EPA’s ENERGY STAR Challenge and how you can start lowering your energy costs today, visit www.energystar.gov/challenge.

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