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North Carolina Area Health Education Center Building in Chapel Hill, N.C. Named a Top Finisher in Energy Star National Building Competition

Release Date: 04/24/2013
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main), [email protected]

ATLANTA – The North Carolina Area Health Education Center Building in Chapel Hill, N.C. was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a top finisher in the third-annual Energy Star National Building Competition. The plant was recognized for reducing their energy use by over a 34 percent.

In its third year, the Energy Star National Building Competition featured teams from across the country to improve energy efficiency, lower utility costs, and protect public health and the environment. More than 3,000 schools, businesses, and government buildings across the country competed to see which could reduce its energy use the most in one year.

The 2012 national winner was the Demarest Elementary School in Bloomfield, N.J., which reduced its energy use by more than 52 percent and cut their utility bills by more than $75,800.

Together, competitors of this year’s National Building Competition cut their energy costs by more than $50 million, saved more than three billion kBtus of energy, and reduced annual greenhouse gas emissions equal to the amount of electricity used by more than 43,000 homes.

The 2012 Energy Star National Building Competition measured energy performance for the entire 2012 calendar year. Competitors tracked their building's monthly energy consumption using EPA's online energy tracking tool, Energy Star Portfolio Manager. The energy use reductions for each top finisher were verified by an independently licensed professional engineer or registered architect at the conclusion of 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, preventing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year.

Products, homes, and buildings that earn the Energy Star label prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency requirements set by the U.S. EPA. In 2012 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved $24 billion on their energy bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those of 41 million vehicles. To date, more than 1.4 million new homes and 20,000 office buildings, schools and hospitals have earned the Energy Star label. Learn more: www.energystar.gov

More information on the 2012 Energy Star National Building Competition, including top overall finishers and top finishers by building category, an interactive map of competitors, and a wrap-up report: http://www.energystar.gov/BattleOfTheBuildings

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