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ENERGY STAR ANNOUNCES RESOURCES FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING

Release Date: 07/29/2003
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, EPA Media Relations, 404-562-8421

The Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR is introducing several resources of special interest to the higher education community this month. During an appearance at the joint annual meeting of the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers (APPA) and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), Melissa Payne, ENERGY STAR National Education Manager, introduced a new benchmarking tool for dormitories, and a new financial assistance tool. "For the first time, college and university administrators can enter data on their dormitory energy usage and find out exactly how their buildings compare with others around the country," said Ms. Payne. "Top performers even can apply to place the ENERGY STAR on their dormitory buildings. It's a great way to let students know about the campus commitment to the environment." Colleges and universities can enter a year's worth of energy data and other information to determine how their dorms score in relation to other dorms nationwide. Each building is scored on its energy performance on a scale of 1 to 100. Buildings that score a 75 or above are eligible to apply for the ENERGY STAR, a large bronze label signifying top energy performance. Currently, office buildings, K-12 schools, hospitals and hotels can benchmark, and over 10,000 buildings have rated their energy performance. In addition, EPA recently developed the Cash Flow Opportunity (CFO) Calculator, a spreadsheet-based resource that provides precise answers to questions about energy efficiency investments including the amount of equipment that can be purchased from savings and the comparative advantages of immediate versus delayed investment. Available at www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=business.bus_financing, the CFO calculator is especially designed for the accounting needs of public sector and educational institutions. These special offerings are a complement to the full assortment of resources available to all ENERGY STAR partners. EPA's ENERGY STAR was introduced in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency. The program offers businesses, organizations and consumers energy efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 7,000 organizations have become ENERGY STAR partners and are committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov.