LEARN MORE AT
energystar.gov
ENERGY STAR® is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
program helping businesses and individuals fight global
warming through superior energy efficiency.
Bring Your Green to Work with ENERGY STAR®
Tips for Executives
Boost the energy efficiency of your business, save money, and fight global warming with
EPA's ENERGY STAR program. The places where we work, shop, play, and learn
spend $200 billion on electricity and natural gas each year and contribute nearly half of
our nation's greenhouse gas emissions. Get started with these tips from EPA to reduce
energy waste in your buildings and facilities, lower energy costs, and protect the
environment.
Take It to Your Team
To get your organization started on the road to saving energy, EPA recommends a
strategic approach that starts with you. Consider instituting an official energy policy,
appointing an energy director, and establishing an energy team. For detailed
suggestions, check out EPA's "Teaming Up to Save Energy"1 guide, which describes the
steps to creating a successful energy team and offers concrete examples from
successful ENERGY STAR partners such as Toyota and 3M.
Performance Matters
Understanding past and current energy use is how many organizations identify
opportunities to improve energy performance and gain financial benefits. EPA offers free
tools to help you gather and track your energy-related data, establish baseline
information, benchmark your facilities against each other or your industry, analyze your
energy use patterns and trends, and examine energy use to prioritize areas for
improvement. EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool for commercial buildings
(energystar.gov/benchmark) and EPA's Energy Performance Indicators for industrial
facilities energvstar.gov/epis) can help you get started.
Earn the ENERGY STAR
Buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR use nearly 40 percent less energy than
average buildings and offer a significantly smaller carbon footprint. Consumers
interested in being green can find the ENERGY STAR not only where they live but
where they work, shop, play, and learn. Thousands of buildings and manufacturing
plants have earned the EPA's ENERGY STAR for superior energy efficiency, including
offices, hotels, hospitals, schools, auto assembly plants, supermarkets and more. Make
your building an ENERGY STAR today, energystar.gov/labeledbuildings
1 http://www.energvstar.gov/index.cfm?c=guidelines.teaming up to save energy

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Waste Not
High utility costs are often a result of paying for energy that is wasted by lights,
equipment, and heating/air-conditioning systems that are left on for long periods while
not in use. Office buildings, for example, waste up to one-third of the energy they
consume. Encourage employees to bring their green actions from home to work.
Educate your employees to turn off lights and equipment when not in use and enable the
power management features on computer equipment. Work with your energy and facility
management teams to make sure systems are operating properly and then consider
upgrades to enhance energy-efficiency. Consider installing occupancy sensors in
conference rooms, store rooms, or other areas not continuously occupied. EPA offers
these suggestions and more in a strategic guide, the Building Upgrade Manual2, to help
you plan and implement building improvements.
Spread the Word
There are a variety of ways, large and small, to promote your partnership with EPA and
celebrate your energy efficiency achievements. Promotional activities are an important
way to educate the community about energy efficiency and to reward outstanding efforts
within your organization to save energy, money, and help fight global warming. Consider
sharing your progress with professional and trade organizations, regional or utility
sponsored energy programs, non-profit organizations, and government programs. Use
the ENERGY STAR Challenge Toolkit3 to find creative ways to communicate your
commitment to energy efficiency and celebrate your success.
2	http://www.energvstar.gov/index.cfm?c=business.bus upgrade manual
3	http://www.energvstar.gov/index.cfm?c=challenge.challenge toolkit
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