October 23 is ENERGY STAR day, so it’s the perfect time to talk about the program and some of Kentucky’s ENERGY STAR achievements.
First, some information on ENERGY STAR. It’s a program managed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. Most Americans recognize the blue ENERGY STAR logo and know that it indicates energy efficient products. What fewer may be aware of is the ENERGY STAR ratings for commercial buildings, industrial plants, and homes.
At Harshaw Trane, we work with clients to make their commercial or industrial building sustainable. For many of them, this involves working towards ENERGY STAR certification. Buildings that are ENERGY STAR certified use 35% less energy than typical buildings, which translates directly into money saved for our clients. That’s the great thing about ENERGY STAR – the reduction of energy use isn’t just good for the environment, it’s great for business.
The core of the ENERGY STAR program for commercial buildings is the Portfolio Manager, the EPA’s energy management and tracking tool. Building owners have access to more than 100 different metrics, regardless of building type, and use those to track performance. Depending on the property, it can also receive an ENERGY STAR score between 1 and 100. Buildings who score 75 or more are eligible to apply for ENERGY STAR certification. The score allows you to compare your building to similar ones across the country. According to ENERGY STAR, “A score of 50 represents typical performance, while a score of 75 indicates that your facility performs better than 75 percent of all similar facilities nationwide.”
In Kentucky, we have 747 ENERGY STAR certified buildings representing over 61 million square feet. We are 17th in terms of total ENERGY STAR buildings, which is great when you compare us to the states ahead of us. It’s no surprise that highly populated and densely occupied states like California, Texas, Virginia, and New York are among the top 5. Our place in the top 20 is very admirable given the rural nature of much of our state, and the fact that we have the lowest population of the top 20 ENERGY STAR states.
ENERGY STAR is a great program for businesses looking into reducing their carbon footprint and energy costs. If you’re looking for an energy partner to help you become more sustainable and to achieve ENERGY STAR certification, we can help. Call Harshaw Trane at 502.499.7000 today.