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SWEETBAY SUPERMARKETS IN TAMPA, FLORIDA MEET EPA’S BUILDING CHALLENGE

Release Date: 11/15/2006
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – November 15, 2006) Sweetbay Supermarkets in Tampa, Florida, along with nineteen new organizations across the country, are being recognized for rising to the challenge to reduce the energy they use, save money, and help the environment. As part of the Energy Star Building Challenge, Sweetbay Supermarkets joined twenty other organizations nationally as Energy Star Leaders for improving the energy efficiency of buildings.

“Across America, energy savings are soaring because organizations like Sweetbay Supermarkets are making smart energy decisions that are good for the environment and good for their wallets,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “Through ENERGY STAR, EPA is improving the nation’s energy and environmental outlook, and I applaud Sweetbay Supermarkets for helping hand the next generation a brighter, healthier future.”

Energy Star Leaders manage more than 212 million square feet of building space – more than the combined office space of Boston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. These grocery stores, offices, hotels, and schools achieve significant energy savings with simple steps, such as turning off lights and computers while not in use, setting temperatures that balance comfort and efficiency, upgrading to more efficient lighting, and more. Energy Star Leaders also demonstrate a corporate commitment to energy efficiency, with involvement at all levels from students to executives.

EPA provides easy-to-use tools to help building owners and managers reduce energy use. The national building energy performance rating system helps building managers rate the efficiency of their buildings on a scale of 1 to 100 points, set goals for improving building efficiency, and document improvements. Energy Star Leaders have either documented a 10 point or greater improvement across all of the buildings within their organization or have earned an exemplary average rating across all buildings.

Announced in 2005, the Energy Star Challenge encourages building owners and managers to reduce energy use by 10 percent or more. Commercial and institutional buildings use about $80 billion worth of energy each year and contribute about 20 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. EPA estimates that if each building owner met this challenge, by 2015 Americans would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to those from 15 million vehicles, while saving about $10 billion.