WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program announced that Morrison Residence Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has won the first-ever EPA National Building Competition. The competition, launched on April 27, 2010, challenged teams from 14 buildings across the country to measure their building’s energy use with help from the Energy Star program and work off the waste. After a hard-fought competition, Morrison Residence Hall reduced its energy use by 35.7 percent in just one year, saved more than $250,000 on their energy bills and reduced more than 730 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The , was eighth, reducing its energy consumption 8.6 percent, and the Sheraton Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas, 13th, reducing its energy usage by 1.9 percent.
In a fierce competition where the final top rankings were separated by just a few percentage points, a Sears store in Glen Burnie, Md., came in second place with a 31.7 percent energy reduction, and a JCPenney store in Orange, Calif., claimed third place with energy savings of 28.4 percent. Together, the 14 competitors reduced their energy use by more than 44 million kBtu, saved more than $950,000 in utility bills, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions equal to the electricity use of nearly 600 homes for a year.
Morrison Residence Hall reduced its energy use through a combination of energy efficiency strategies, including improved operations and maintenance as well as outreach to dormitory residents. A computer touch-screen monitor in the dormitory’s lobby helped Morrison residents and the energy team at UNC keep track of energy consumption. Competitions between floors in the dorm to see who could save the most energy encouraged students to turn off lights and computers, and friendly reminders were posted in elevators, bathrooms, and common areas. Improvements to the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, as well as lighting improvements, helped to increase the building’s energy efficiency and maximize savings.
Year of Consumption Monitored
The National Building Competition measured energy reductions from September 1, 2009, through August 31, 2010. The energy use of each building was monitored through EPA’s Energy Star online energy measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager. The winner is the building with the greatest percentage-based reduction in weather normalized, energy use intensity. Third-party utility statements were required at the conclusion of the competition to verify the energy performance of each competitor.
The final rankings for EPA’s National Building Competition are:
1. Morrison Residence Hall at UNC Chapel Hill, N.C.; dormitory (35.7 percent);
2. Sears Glen Burnie, Glen Burnie, Md.; retail store (31.7 percent);
3. JCPenney, Orange, Calif.; retail store (28.4 percent);
4. 1525 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va.; office building (28.0 percent);
5. 522 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y.; office building (18.1 percent);
6. Solon Family Health Center, Solon, Ohio, medical office building (13.9 percent);
7. Crystal River Elementary School, Carbondale, Colo., K-12 school (12.2 percent);
8. Tucker Residence Hall at N.C. State University, Raleigh, N.C., dormitory (10.3 percent);
9. Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown, hotel (8.6 percent);
10. Maplewood Mall, Maplewood, Minn.; enclosed shopping mall (6.7 percent);
11. Memorial Arts Building at Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, museum (5.7 percent);
12. Van Holten Primary School, Bridgewater, N.J.; K-12 school (5.3 percent);
13. Sheraton Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas, hotel (1.9 percent); and
14. Virginia Beach Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Va., convention center (1.5 percent).
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. 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.
Click here to learn more about the National Building Competition.
