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New England Buildings Score in National Energy Star Building Competition

Release Date: 04/23/2013
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – April 23, 2013) – In a competition in which more than 3,000 buildings across the country went head-to-head to see which one could reduce its energy use the most over the course of one year, buildings located in New England states made significant strides on energy savings. Building managers made smart energy conservation decisions in areas including improvements in operations and maintenance, and upgrades in equipment and technology.

Webster Bank’s facility in Darien, Conn. led all New England buildings by reducing their energy use by 26.2 percent. In addition to energy reductions, more than 300 competitors also tracked and reduced their water consumption with help from EPA’s WaterSense program. Leading the pack was another Webster Bank office in Brockton, Mass., which reduced its water use by 80 percent.

A total of 324 New England facilities entered the Competition including 173 from Connecticut, 76 from Massachusetts, 20 from Maine, 15 from New Hampshire, 23 from Rhode Island, and 17 from Vermont. The top competitors from New England in percentage of energy use reduced and amount of cost savings included:

Connecticut:
Webster Bank Office, Darien, 26.2% reduction in energy use, saving $2000/year;
Walgreens Warehouse, Windsor, 14.3% reduction in energy use, saving $265,000/year;

Massachusetts:
J.C. Penny, Peabody, 24.7% reduction in energy use, saving $31,500/year;
JFK Federal Building, Boston, 1.8% reduction in energy use, saving $160,700/year;

Maine:
The Island Institute, Rockland, 14.4% reduction in energy use, saving $2,300/year;
Muskie Federal Building, Augusta, 9.7%reduction in energy use, saving $19,500/year;

New Hampshire:
State Liquor Store # 66, Hooksett, 10.8% reduction in energy use, saving $1,500/year;
BAE Systems, Nashua, 6.5% reduction in energy use, saving $137,000/year;

Rhode Island:
Raymour & Flanagan Furniture, E. Greenwich, 14.2% reduction in energy use, saving $4,120/year;
Pocasset Bay Manor, Johnston, 9.8% reduction in energy use, saving $23,600/year;

Vermont:
USBS North Troy, North Troy, 22% reduction in energy use, saving 1,300/year;
St. Albans Federal Building, St. Albans, 15.4% reduction in energy use, saving $20,600/year.

“We applaud the sound energy management and innovation shown by these companies and institutions in their efforts to reduce operating costs and energy demand,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “Improving energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways to save money while reducing emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases.”

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.

The 2012 Energy Star National Building Competition measured energy performance over 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 and preventing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year.

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 go to: www.energystar.gov/BattleOfTheBuildings

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