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Calhoun County Courthouse, Calhoun County Administration Building in Anniston, Ala., receive Energy Star designation

Release Date: 05/11/2006
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – May 11, 2006) During a ceremony today in Anniston, Ala., the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), officially designated Calhoun County Courthouse and the Calhoun County Administration Building as Energy Star® Buildings. These are the first two public buildings in Alabama to receive this designation. The ENERGY STAR distinction is shared by only four other buildings in the state.

Buildings earn the ENERGY STAR based on EPA’s energy performance rating system. These buildings must score a 75 or better (on a scale from 1-100) based on their actual energy use, and also meet industry standards for comfort and indoor air quality. The average score for ENERGY STAR labeled buildings in 2005 is 86.

Among the top performing buildings nationwide are 1,007 office buildings, 501 public schools and 834 grocery stores. More than 200 hotels, hospitals, medical offices, and other buildings also earned the ENERGY STAR. Top-performing buildings can be found in every state in the nation and the District of Columbia. States that are home to the most ENERGY STAR-qualified buildings are California, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, and Ohio.

For more information and a complete list of buildings and their locations, please visit www.energystar.gov. Under the column marked “Business Improvements,” click on “Find Labeled Buildings.” To find all the ENERGY STAR buildings in a state, just type in the state and click on the search button.

ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program helping businesses and consumers protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. By partnering with EPA through ENERGY STAR, more than 7,000 private and public sector organizations, in 2004 alone, saved enough energy to power 24 million homes and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 20 million cars – all while saving $10 billion.