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ENERGY STAR Label Goes to 22 Buildings in EPA Region 7

Release Date: 02/12/2008
Contact Information: Beckie Himes, 913-551-7253, himes.beckie@epa.gov

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Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Feb. 12, 2008) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded its prestigious ENERGY STAR label for 2007 to 22 buildings in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. The ENERGY STAR is probably best known as a label for superior energy performance on home appliances, electronics, and other products. It also identifies the nation's top-performing buildings.

John B. Askew, administrator for EPA Region 7 – which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska – said, "As part of our emphasis on sustainability, which includes energy efficiency, we are delighted that these buildings are being recognized for meeting the Energy Star criteria."

Organizations earn the ENERGY STAR label by using EPA's national energy performance rating system to generate energy-efficiency ratings for their buildings relative to similar buildings across the country. The rating system is available for public and commercial buildings such as schools, dormitories, hotels, hospitals and grocery stores.

ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program that helps businesses and consumers protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Nearly 4,100 buildings have earned the ENERGY STAR label since 1999. Buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR label use about 35 percent less energy than average buildings while still providing quality service and comfort to occupants. ENERGY STAR buildings are in all 50 states and represent almost 747 million square feet.

Energy loss from commercial buildings represents almost 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. With the help of ENERGY STAR, Americans saved nearly $14 billion on their energy bills in 2006 and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those from approximately 25 million vehicles.

A complete list of buildings, by state, is available on the Web at www.energystar.gov/buildinglist

The 2007 buildings in EPA Region 7 are:

IOWA
Mercy Medical Center, Dyersville
Story County Human Services Building, Ames
Story County Administration Building, Nevada

KANSAS
Kansas City/Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park
Buehler Unified School District, Buhler, 2 buildings
Lighton Buildings, Overland Park, 3 buildings
Olathe Unified School District, Olathe, 6 buildings
Ashgrove Cement Company, Chanute

MISSOURI
2345 Grand, Kansas City, 28-story office building
Lafarge North America Plant, Sugar Creek

NEBRASKA
Cozad East Elementary School, Cozad
North Platte High School, North Platte
Omaha-Douglas Civic Center, Omaha
Union Pacific Headquarters, Omaha