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U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR Program Connects Building Design and Operation as Nation’s Best in Energy-Efficient Building Designs Announced at American Institute of Architects Convention

Release Date: 06/10/2010
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

(MIAMI – June 10, 2010) Today at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Convention in Miami, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR^® program announced that 84 commercial building design projects achieved the Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR designation for 2010. These projects are intended to create fewer greenhouse gas emissions and save money on energy bills over the lifetime of the building.

This year’s qualifying projects came from 58 firms nationwide. The projects are intended to save more than 50,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and more than $6.5 million in energy costs across approximately 9.4 million square feet. Over 30 of the projects attained a C0₂ emissions reduction of 50 percent or better, which meets industry-wide and AIA 2030 Commitment goals. The full list of projects and architecture firms can be found at www.energystar.gov/commercialbuildingdesign.

“We congratulate this year’s recipients of this ENERGY STAR designation for putting energy efficiency at the forefront of their designs,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator Stan Meiburg. “With your help EPA is continuing to grow the number of architects, owners, contractors and operators who consider energy-efficient design, products and practices throughout the life of a building.”

An increasing number of architects and owners are finding value in designing with sustainable energy strategies in mind and completing the circle by earning the ENERGY STAR label. In fact, several architecture firms submitted multiple projects for 2010 including: four each from Schroeder and Holt Architects, Clotfelter-Samokar and DES Architects + Engineers and three each from b3studio, Fanning/Howey Associates, HKS and Moseley Architects.

An architecture firm can receive the Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR for design projects by achieving a score of 75 or higher on EPA’s no-cost, online tool, Target Finder, which compares the project’s intended energy performance against the average energy use of actual operating buildings. Once the building is occupied, owners can track its actual energy performance using EPA’s online Portfolio Manager tool—and earn the ENERGY STAR label if the building achieves a score of 75 or higher. New in 2010, registered architects and building engineers can participate in the third-party verification process of the building.

Since the Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR program’s inception in 2004, more than 250 commercial building projects from over 120 firms have achieved the designation. They represent a total of more than 37 million square feet of space. Collectively, these projects were designed to prevent more than 230,000 metric tons per year of CO₂ emissions and save more than $19 million in annual energy costs.

Energy use in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants accounts for nearly half of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption nationwide. Since 1992, EPA has worked with businesses and organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through strategic energy management practices. Today, there are ENERGY STAR qualified facilities in every state across the country. For more information on Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov/commercialbuildingdesign.