14 Finalists Picked in EPA's National Building Competition

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sponsoring the first national energy efficiency contest of its kind, featuring 14 commercial buildings from across the country. While trimming kilowatt hours off is their bottom line, they’ll also save money and help fight climate change. The building that sheds the most energy waste on a percentage basis will be declared the winner at EPA’s final weigh-in on Oct. 26, 2010.

“It’s time for buildings to tighten their belts and we’re happy to help them go on an energy diet,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for air and radiation. “Cutting energy use will reduce their monthly expenses and their carbon footprint, showing that environmental protection and economic growth can go hand in hand.”

Nearly 200 applications were received for EPA’s National Building Competition and the 14 finalists will be judged on their energy performance from Sept. 1, 2009 to Aug. 31, 2010. The energy use of each building is being monitored with EPA’s Energy Star online energy measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager. Television personality Bob Harper will also provide energy fitness tips for the contestants through a series of videos that will be available on the Web site.

EPA’s National Building Competition contestants are:

1525 Wilson Boulevard Building - Arlington, VA

Situated at the top of a hill just across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial in the nation’s capitol, this 12-story office building has pursued aggressive energy efficiency upgrades since 2004. Has it already maxed out its efficiency potential? Can it take its energy-efficient game to the next level, leading the pack and delivering a knock out blow to the competition? Learn more

522 5th Avenue - New York, NY

Originally constructed in 1896, this Class A Midtown office building has recently undergone a facelift. Some say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but the building’s new management team has made energy efficiency a priority. Can this more than 100-year-old building beat out the young upstarts and lower its energy use enough to win the competition?  Learn more

Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown - San Diego, CA

Occupying an old 1920s bank building in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp District, the Courtyard by Marriott retrofitted guest rooms and common areas with efficient sensors and technology. The hotel staff has formed a “Green Team” and offers guests eco-friendly options. Does this historic landmark have more ideas up its sleeve to lower its energy use and win the competition?  Learn more

Crystal River Elementary School - Carbondale, CO

Don’t let the backpacks and sneakers throw you off; twelve middle school math students make up the all-star Energy Team for Colorado’s Roaring Fork School District. They’re leading their teachers, custodians, and maintenance staff in a comprehensive Advanced Energy Management program with the goal of earning EPA’s ENERGY STAR label. Can this pint-sized team pack a professional-grade punch when it comes to saving energy?  Learn more

JCPenney Store # 1778 - Orange, CA

The manager at this JCPenney store posts daily store energy use reports for all associates to see, including comparisons to the company’s other stores. Not wanting to be bested by their peers, the manager and associates snapped into action and the store is now using 35% less energy than it was last year. Can they deliver another year of big back-to-back savings and take out the competition?  Learn more

Maplewood Mall - St. Paul, MN

You know how expensive it is to heat, cool, and illuminate your home. What if your home were roughly 250 times the size it is now? You’d probably be doing what Maplewood Mall has been doing since 2003; namely, trying to be as energy efficient as possible. All mall managers are trained in reducing energy costs, and energy savings are part of the operations director’s annual goal. Will Maplewood Mall be able to lower its energy use enough to win the competition?  Learn more

Memorial Arts Building at Woodruff Arts Center - Atlanta, GA

In 1962, Atlanta lost the leaders of its civic and arts community in a devastating plane crash. Citizens and city leaders channeled their collective grief into the construction of the Woodruff Arts Center as a memorial to these lost leaders. Now, more than four decades later, they’ve set their sights on “greening the arts.” Can this building let its creative flag fly high while lowering its energy bills? Learn more

Morrison Residence Hall - Chapel Hill, NC

UNC at Chapel Hill students have long favored this dorm, despite its old age. Housing 800 students, Morrison Hall was the first building on campus to install solar panels and is home to the campus’s Sustainability Living Learning Community. Still, the dorm is not performing at its peak. Can this group of sustainability-minded students pull together, help lower the dorm’s energy use, and take the top prize? Learn more

Sears Glen Burnie - Glen Burnie, MD

Sears sells more ENERGY STAR qualified appliances than any other retailer, helping its customers save energy and money at home. Now the company’s store in Glen Burnie is stepping up. Starting in September, staff replaced inefficient lighting with new lumen lighting and trained employees on effective ways to manage energy use in the store. Will Sears show its customers that it can walk the walk, too? Learn more

Sheraton Austin Hotel - Austin, TX

This Austin hotel celebrates Earth Hour by asking guests to turn off their lights and TVs and join staff in the lobby for acoustic music. The Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol also goes green year-round through monthly energy audits, lighting retrofits, and an option for guests to opt-out of housekeeping services in exchange for a $5 coupon. They’ve got all the right moves, but is it enough to win? Learn more

Solon Family Health Center - Cleveland, OH

The Cleveland Clinic believes that having the best healthcare in the country is not enough if its patients can’t afford it. To reduce patient costs and continue its practice of providing uncompensated healthcare to the poor, the Solon Family Health Center started looking at energy costs. The staff improved maintenance procedures and made upgrades, and they even help employees fund their own energy-saving project ideas. Can they root out enough inefficiencies to compete on the national stage? Learn more

Tucker Residence Hall - Raleigh, NC

At NC State University, students like to hold competitions to see which dorms are the most resource efficient. Now the entire campus is rallying behind Tucker Residence Hall, a 63-year-old dorm housing NC State’s first-year college program. With one floor equipped with smart technology in the common areas, and another floor set to receive super-efficient LED lighting, this building seems like it has a leg up on the competition. Is it a shoo-in to beat out its competitors by reducing its energy use the most? Learn more

Van Holten Primary School - Bridgewater, NJ

Students and teachers at this New Jersey school stay on their toes when the Schools for Energy Efficiency® (SEE) Squad comes around. This group of students monitors energy use and reminds staff and students of good energy behaviors. The Board of Education, principal, lead custodian, and energy coordinator are also supporting upgrades of lighting and controls, all with the hope that their school will one day earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR label. Can everyone band together to eliminate the waste? Learn more

Virginia Beach Convention Center - Virginia Beach, VA

At Virginia Beach Convention Center, energy use is all-or-nothing. During events, thousands of visitors flood the space, needing bright lights, monitors, speakers, and computers. After the last visitor is gone, the building goes quiet and young engineers’ minds turn to thoughts of energy efficiency. With such unconventional needs, can VBCC make it through this summer’s hot events and still capture the competition lead? Learn more

The competition website will provide profiles of each contestant and chronicle their progress as well as feature advice for contestants from EPA and leading building efficiency specialists. Each building will also participate in mid-point and final contest weigh-ins and the results will be posted online at the competition Web site.

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. On average, 30 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. Thousands of businesses and organizations work with the EPA’s Energy Star program and are saving billions of dollars and preventing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering our atmosphere each year.