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New Hampshire Launches Energy Star Challenge By Governor Lynch On Earth Day; Energy Star Rating Awarded for Concord DOJ Building

Release Date: 04/22/2005
Contact Information:

Contact: David Deegan, EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1017, deegan.dave@epa.gov

For Immediate Release: April 22, 2005; Release #dd050407

CONCORD, N.H. – New Hampshire’s Governor John Lynch today launched the state’s commitment to EPA’s Energy Star Challenge today. At an Earth Day celebration in Concord, EPA today also awarded an Energy Star designation to a newly renovated N.H. Department of Justice (DOJ) Building for superior energy performance.

EPA’s Energy Star label is being awarded to the N.H. DOJ building because, compared to an office building of its size, the renovated office building uses 37 percent less energy. This efficiency prevents more than 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year - the equivalent of taking more than 200 cars off the road - while saving New Hampshire taxpayers more than $24,000 in annual energy bills.

"Governor Lynch and the State of New Hampshire are national leaders in energy efficiency," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of the EPA's New England office. "New Hampshire is leading by example - showing that energy efficiency is good stewardship of public resources, good public policy and good for the environment."

The Concord-based Dept. of Justice building is an example that even older buildings can achieve high energy efficiency with the right combination of technology and good management. Built a half-century ago in 1955, the building received several important upgrades, including: new lighting fixtures and controls, an advanced energy management system, energy efficient motors for hot water pumps and air conditioning units, and water conserving plumbing fixtures.

“New Hampshire is proud to accept this Energy Star Label for the Department of Justice Building,” Governor Lynch said. “This award and our participation in EPA’s Energy Star Challenge show our commitment to improving energy efficiency in state facilities, reducing environmental impacts and saving taxpayers money.”

The state-owned Concord building is the first office building, public or private, to earn the Energy Star Label in New Hampshire, and only the second building within the state overall to achieve this distinction. The Shaw’s Supermarket in Concord received the label in 2003.

The DOJ building was just one of ten buildings to receive upgrades in recent years as part of New Hampshire’s Building Energy Conservation Initiative (BECI). Overall avoided energy costs for these facilities now exceed $200,000 annually – a significant savings for New Hampshire taxpayers.

This New Hampshire initiative analyzes state buildings for energy and resource conservation opportunities. BECI utilizes a "paid from savings" procedure (called Performance Contracting) that allows agencies to perform energy retrofits and building upgrades using the energy savings to pay for the project, rather than depending on funding through capital appropriations.

Recently, New Hampshire became one of only six states to help EPA launch the Energy Star Challenge, “Building a Better World 10 Percent at a Time,” a national campaign to encourage owners of commercial and institutional buildings across the country to reduce energy consumption by 10 percent.

State government is the largest energy user in New Hampshire, with heating, cooling, and electricity costs greater than $18 million per year for 1,200 buildings. Meeting and exceeding this 10 percent challenge will improve public health and the environment, and result in significant cost savings. EPA estimates that if each building owner took this challenge, Americans would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 million metric tons of carbon equivalent - the emissions from 15 million cars - while saving about $10 billion.

Energy Star was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency. The program helps businesses and consumers save energy and money while protecting the environment for future generations. In 2004, Energy Star helped Americans save enough energy to power 24 million homes and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 21 million cars - all while saving consumers and businesses $10 billion.

The Energy Star label is awarded to buildings that demonstrate superior energy performance. Energy Star national performance rating system ranks building energy performance on a one to 100 scale based on energy usage per square foot, normalized for weather, climate, occupancy and other factors. Buildings scoring 75 or higher that meet standards for indoor air quality, lighting, ventilation and thermal comfort are eligible for the label.

Information on EPA’s Energy Star Challenge is available at: http://www.energystar.gov/ .