(Chapel Hill, NC) Carmichael Arena, ITS Manning, Kenan Residence Hall, and Kerr Hall, owned/managed by University of North Carolina have been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's) ENERGY STAR National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings to help improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings and protect the environment. In the spirit of popular weight-loss competitions, Carmichael Arena, ITS Manning, Kenan Residence Hall, and Kerr Hall will battle it out against hundreds of other teams from buildings across the country to work off the waste through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program.
”We want to make significant and sustainable improvements in how we occupy, maintain and operate our buildings on campus,” said Chris M. Martin Jr., director of UNC Energy Management.
The 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition includes 245 teams from 26 different types of commercial buildings - such as retail stores, schools, hotels, and museums - that hail from 33 states and the District of Columbia. Eleven buildings are 100 years old or greater, the smallest building is just over 6,000 square feet, and fifteen buildings cover more than 1 million square feet of floor space with the largest totaling nearly 3 million square feet.
As the 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition spokesperson, actor John Corbett will provide energy saving tips and encouragement through videos posted on the competition website. The 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition spokesperson is provided by jcpenney, EPA's co-sponsor for these events. The competition website will also feature a flash media wall with photos of all of the competitors, a live Twitter feed, and a Competitor Forum for exchanging ideas and strategies.
“Buildings of all shapes and sizes are saving money and energy with help from EPA and ENERGY STAR,” said Jean Lupinacci, Director of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Commercial Buildings Program. “We applaud the contestants of EPA’s ENERGY STAR National Building Competition for taking action to protect the environment and save energy in the buildings where we work, play and learn.”
Competitors will measure and track their building's monthly energy consumption using EPA's ENERGY STAR online energy tracking tool, Portfolio Manager; make improvements to their building's energy performance; and share their progress. Of the initial pool of 245 competitors, a small group of buildings will be selected as finalists in July. Among the finalists, the building that demonstrates the greatest percentage-based reduction in energy use intensity will be recognized as the winner on November 2, 2011.
According to EPA, energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and energy use at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. On average, 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. 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 our atmosphere each year.
UNC is really doing its part to save energy and money! Are you in on the fight against wasteful energy use and climate change? Visit EnergyStar.gov to assess your home or apartment today!
