National Building Competition for Energy Efficiency
Posted on 19. May, 2010 by keith in Sustainable Building
Inspired by the concept of the popular reality show, The Biggest Loser, the EPA recently announced a competition where commercial buildings across the U.S. compete to see who can “slim down their energy waste lines” the most in terms of kilowatt hours. The competition commenced on September 1, 2009, and will end on August 31, 2010. As of April 27, 14 energy-conscious finalists have been selected from an original pool of 200 contestants, and include: a 12-story Glenborough LLC office building in Virginia; a Marriott hotel in California; a grade school in Colorado; a JC Penney store in California; a mall in Minnesota; a Sears store in Maryland; and a dorm at North Carolina State University. The winner will be announced on October 26, 2010.
Unlike the winner of The Biggest Loser, the winner of the EPA’s contest will not receive a direct financial reward, but publicity that could easily translate into an improved bottom line in an era where organizations that display environmental awareness are favored over those that do not. Furthermore, each of the finalists has already received a financial reward as a result of their energy efficiency, with some of them realizing a six-figure reduction in their annual energy costs.
Although energy saving retrofits are often viewed as a passion of companies that are passionate about the environment, they are also the passion of companies that are dedicated to commercial energy savings. Retrofitting your building for energy efficiency begins with having an energy efficiency consult perform an energy audit of your building(s), after which a formal proposal is made that details the ideal implementations, their cost and an objective ROI. In the past, the upfront cost of energy efficiency projects caused many companies to put their dreams of energy efficiency on hold. But today, some energy efficiency companies offer attractive in house financing that significantly lessens the burden of implementing efficient design.
