by Jbs050110 g3 — May 5, 2010—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sponsoring what is reportedly the first national energy efficiency contest of its kind, featuring 14 commercial buildings from across the country. While trimming kilowatt hours off is the focus, they will also save money and help fight climate change, says EPA. The building that sheds the most energy waste on a percentage basis will be declared the winner at EPA’s final weigh-in on October 26, 2010.
Nearly 200 applications were received for EPA’s National Building Competition. The 14 finalists will be judged on their energy performance from September 1, 2009 to August 31, 2010. The energy use of each building is being monitored with EPA’s Energy Star online energy measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager. Television personality Bob Harper will also provide energy fitness tips for the contestants through a series of videos that will be available on the Web site.
EPA’s National Building Competition contestants are:
- 522 Fifth Avenue Building, New York, NY
- 1525 Wilson Boulevard Building, Arlington, VA
- Crystal River Elementary School, Carbondale, CO
- Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown, San Diego, CA
- JCPenney Store 1778, Orange, CA
- Maplewood Mall, St. Paul, MN
- Memorial Arts Building at the Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
- Morrison Residence Hall at UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
- Sears, Glen Burnie, MD
- Sheraton Austin Hotel, Austin, TX
- Solon Family Health Center at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
- Tucker Residence Hall at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
- Van Holten Primary School, Bridgewater, NJ
- Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, VA
The competition Web site will provide profiles of each contestant and chronicle their progress as well as feature advice for contestants from EPA’s Energy Star for Buildings and Plants program and leading building efficiency specialists. Each building will also participate in mid-point and final contest weigh-ins and the results will be posted online at the National Building Competition Web site.
