by Brianna Crandall — April 4, 2018 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are honoring 163 Energy Star partners — including Fortune 500 companies, schools, hospitals, retailers, manufacturers, home builders, and commercial building owners and operators — for their outstanding contributions to public health and the environment. These enterprises will be named Energy Star Partners of the Year for demonstrating national leadership in cost-saving energy efficient solutions. The 2018 recipients come from 35 states. The awards will be presented in Washington, DC, on April 20.
Energy Star is the government-backed symbol for energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, and plants, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations — including more than 40% of the Fortune 500 — rely on their partnership with EPA to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Together, since 1992, Energy Star and its partners have reportedly helped save American families and businesses over $450 billion and over 3.5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity while also achieving broad emissions reductions — all through voluntary action.
Examples of how this year’s Energy Star award winners are taking action with energy management best practices include:
- Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International (Washington, DC) promotes Portfolio Manager and Energy Star resources to the commercial real estate (CRE) industry. BOMA launched the W2 Challenge, a new benchmarking initiative to increase CRE sustainability efforts, and offers education and recognition programs that incorporate Energy Star, including the Building Re-Tuning Training Program, BOMA Energy Performance Contracting Model, Office and Industrial Experience Exchange Reports, BOMA 360 Performance Program, The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) Awards, and BEEP Plus — two new courses that enhance the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) training.
- CBRE Group (Los Angeles, CA) a global CRE services and investment firm managing more than 375 million sq. ft. of commercial properties and facilities worldwide, was recognized for its comprehensive energy management program, extensive use of Portfolio Manager, and overall leadership across the industry. The firm has benchmarked more than 6,100 properties (a year-over-year increase of more than 300%), and has achieved an average Energy Star score of 80.3 across its portfolio (a 16.2% reduction in site energy use). 5,000 employees completed training modules in 2017 for “The Business of Green” training program on green buildings and energy efficiency, including a customized “Energy Star for Brokers” presentation. CBRE also published the 4th annual Green Building Adoption Index, which highlights the adoption rate of Energy Star-labeled buildings, with a new added focus on cities with energy disclosure regulations.
- Cushman & Wakefield (Chicago, IL), a global real estate services firm in more than 70 countries, was honored for using Energy Star tools and resources, and leveraging ENERGY STAR throughout its outstanding energy management plan. The firm earned Energy Star Certification for 217 buildings in 2017; educated several hundred brokers, property managers, chief engineers and other staff about Energy Star Portfolio Manager via internal Webinars and training; saved 1.5 million kWh in 2017 through its Energy Optimization Assessments (implementing low- and no-cost energy conservation measures, focusing on operational adjustments, while developing longer-term capital plans for deep retrofits of energy-using systems); enrolling four participants in the Energy Star Tenant Space pilot program; and tracked waste volume and diversion rates in Portfolio Manager for 17 properties.
- JLL (Chicago, IL), a global professional services and investment management firm offering specialized real estate services, was recognized for its superior communication about energy efficiency to clients and tenants, and for its dedication to driving energy savings. The firm achieved Energy Star Certification for 140 of its managed buildings in 2017, and reduced its average site energy use intensity by 5.1%, helping clients prevent 282,000 metric tons of CO2; documented more than $1 billion in accumulated verified energy savings for its clients in its proprietary Portfolio Energy and Environmental Reporting System platform; participated in the ENERGY STAR Tenant Space pilot program; featured Energy Star and its sustainability efforts in its Annual Sustainability Report; and garnered more than 1,000 media placements in real estate, energy, sustainability and general business publications that reference Energy Star, reaching more than 260 million individuals.
- Memorial Hermann Health System (Houston, TX) is the largest nonprofit health care system in the Gulf Coast region and operates more than 12 million sq. ft. of facility space in 11 major campus locations. The system was honored for leading certification of top-performing hospitals and for promoting use of Portfolio Manager. The group has achieved Energy Star certification for nine hospitals, an 82% certification rate and the highest percentage of certified hospitals in the country. MHHS helped create and grow the “Texas Energy Roundup”, a contest of 100 hospitals and medical offices that has saved over 754 billion Btus, and saved an estimated $11 million in energy costs in 2017 and $94 million since 2009. The group requires all new hospitals be Designed to Earn the Energy Star within 12 months of operation, and mobilizes hospitals across the country to respond to a national energy survey that will help establish an updated Energy Star score for hospitals and medical offices.
- Loudoun County Public Schools (Ashburn, VA), the third-largest school district in Virginia, educating more than 80,000 students across 90 schools, has been an Energy Star Partner for 20 years. LCPS was recognized for its long-standing commitment to Energy Star and demonstrating good stewardship of public resources. The system has benchmarked 100% of facilities in Portfolio Manager, submitting all eligible buildings for certification annually, and integrated historical Designed to Earn Energy Star data from the Target Finder tool into Portfolio Manager. LCPS earned Energy Star certification for 66 buildings in 2017, representing more than 70% of all eligible buildings, and saving more than $81 million since 1993. The system has certified 100% of all new construction projects as Designed to Earn Energy Star since 2010, and completed its 15th Designed to Earn Energy Star project. LCPS also ensured Energy Star tools and resources were included in energy efficiency initiatives adopted by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
- Eastman Chemical Company (Kingsport, TN), a global advanced materials and specialty additives manufacturer, saved $46 million in 2017 with more than 125 energy-saving projects focused on steam and electrical systems optimization, process modification, upgraded equipment and improved lighting, with a budget of over $10 million. The company solved the challenge of identifying energy projects and promoting them for funding by producing an easily accessible online energy project savings calculator and an auto-capture database to help identify projects for funding. Eastman also educated employees, schools and the public about saving energy through a campaign called “Energy efficiency. It’s only natural,” and encouraged employee engagement in energy efficiency by participating in improvement drives such as promoting ENERGY STAR’s Light the Moment campaign and creating an animated video on selecting light bulbs for Energy Awareness Month.
- Food Lion (Salisbury, NC) is a food retailer with more than 1,000 grocery stores across the US. Since partnering with ENERGY STAR in 2000, Food Lion has reduced its energy consumption nearly 30% per square foot, saving 2.87 trillion Btus. Food Lion achieved Energy Star certification for 75 stores in 2017; to date, 92% of its stores have been certified at least once. In 2016, Food Lion invested over $6 million to retrofit lighting with LEDs for 109 stores. The company conducted a “Battle of the Buildings” pilot competition between 43 stores to engage store associates in energy reduction efforts; the competition will encompass its entire portfolio in the future.
Read more about each of the award winners’ achievements on the Energy Star Web site.
