Energy Star Qualified Buildings Surge in 2007
The number of commercial buildings and manufacturing plants to earn the Energy Star for superior energy efficiency is up by more than 25 percent in the past year.
The number of commercial buildings and manufacturing plants to earn the
Energy Star for superior energy efficiency is up by more than 25
percent in the past year.
The amount of carbon dioxide emissions reduced under the program has
reached an all-time high of more than 25 billion pounds, according to
the EPA.
Nearly 4,100 buildings and manufacturing plants have earned the EPA's
Energy Star through the end of 2007, with the addition of more than
1,400 in 2007 alone. They include about 1,500 office buildings, 1,300
supermarkets, 820 K-12 schools and 250 hotels. Also, more than 185
banks, financial centers, hospitals, courthouses, warehouses,
dormitories. For the first time, big-box retail buildings also earned
the Energy Star label.
In total, EPA says that these facilities have saved nearly $1.5 billion
annually in lower energy bills and prevented carbon dioxide emissions
equal to the emissions associated with electricity use of more than 1.5
million American homes for a year, relative to typical buildings.
Commercial buildings that have earned the Energy Star use nearly 40
percent less energy than average buildings and emit 35 percent less
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, offering a significantly smaller
carbon footprint. About 500 Energy Star buildings use 50 percent less
energy than average buildings.
To qualify for the Energy Star, a building or manufacturing plant must
score in the top 25 percent using EPA's National Energy Performance
Rating System.
Energy use in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants accounts
for nearly half of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and nearly
50 percent of energy consumption nationwide.
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