The EPA recently announced results from the ENERGY STAR® National Building Competition: BOOTCAMP. The competition “challenged building owners, managers, and occupants to reduce energy and water use, and save money over just 90 days!” Over 800 buildings tracked their performance using ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER in order to increase monthly savings. Two Nonprofit Energy and Water Efficiency (NEWE) Initiative program participants, Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota – Southside Unit and East Texas Food Bank, and Premier Academy, a Grants to Green recipient, all placed top in their respective categories. Overall, 28 Southface program participants reduced their energy and water costs by more than $35,000 in just three months.
The Grants to Green participants consisted of 13 Metro Atlanta nonprofits that achieved over $10,000 of combined savings. The Frazer Center, an agency that serves children and adults with disabilities, saved over $4,000 alone. The NEWE Initiative program participants consisted of 15 buildings including a mix of Boys and Girls Clubs and Feeding America food banks nationwide. These organizations achieved $26,159 in savings over the ninety-day period.
Premier Academy in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward was recognized for being the top water saver in the preschool/childcare category and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota – Southside earned top in the preschool/childcare category for total amount of energy savings. To quote Tom Wicks, Director of Operations, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota “Staff remained engaged in saving energy because it’s the right thing to do and they know that those saved financial resources can be used to support club programs and help more kids.” The East Texas Food Bank was recognized for being the top water saver among distribution centers. Not only was this building the winner in the distribution center category, achieving 36 percent water savings, it had one of the largest reductions in water use among all building types in the competition.
Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. Thousands of businesses and organizations work with EPA’s ENERGY STAR program and are saving billions of dollars and preventing tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year.
With energy and water savings totaling over $35,000, Southface’s nonprofit partners are not only doing their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money, they are increasing their capacity to provide more arts, serve more youth and feed more hungry families.
For profiles of all the winning teams including how they achieved their success, visit www.energystar.gov/battleofthebuildings to download the 2016 final results.
