ENERGY STAR The ENERGY STARŪ Challenge Build a Better World 10% at a Time 2005 ENERGY STAR Leaders EPA is pleased to recognize as ENERGY STAR Leaders those businesses and organizations that have demonstrated a 10% improvement - or more - in their energy efficiency. EPA designates ENERGY STAR Leaders based on improvements documented through EPA's national energy performance rating system. The rating system provides an objective, standardized metric for measuring the efficiency of a building or building portfolio on a scale from 1-100. Buildings rating 75 or higher are among the most energy efficient in the country. Owners and operators of more than 20,000 buildings across the country have used the rating system to manage their energy use, improve their bottom line, and gain recognition for superior energy management. These companies, school districts, and healthcare organizations have created an organization-wide energy efficiency baseline, using EPA's rating system, and raised the average rating across all of their buildings by 10, 20, or 30 points or more, or have achieved an average rating of 75 or better. Buehler Foods Wooster, Ohio Achievement: 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating Buehler's Food Markets, Inc is a family-owned chain of eleven supermarkets in Northeastern and Central Ohio. Headquartered in Wooster, Ohio, the company was founded in 1929, and today is under the leadership of the fourth generation. Buehler's energy management strategy includes providing each of its stores with tailored seasonal energy guidelines that specify store temperature settings and educating managers about opportunities to reduce energy use and save money. Demonstrating environmental and financial stewardship helps Buehler's establish and maintain strong ties to the communities it serves. Buehler Foods joined ENERGY STAR in 2005. Cambridge Savings Bank Cambridge, Massachusetts Achievement: 20 Point Improvement & 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating Cambridge Savings Bank (CSB) is a full-service financial institution with just under $2 billion in assets. With the support of senior management, CSB has improved the energy efficiency of its 13 bank branch and office buildings by approximately 20 percent. CSB also achieved an average rating of over 75 across all of its branches. CSB management sets goals for each building and offers incentives for top- performing branches. Energy efficiency improvements have included lighting upgrades for several facilities, major upgrades at others, and adoption of high efficiency designs for new construction. CSB involves every employee in its energy program through a comprehensive training program. In addition to ENERGY STAR Leaders recognition, CSB earned the ENERGY STAR label for seven of its facilities. The company has enjoyed annual energy cost savings of about $60,000 since implementing its energy program. CSB joined ENERGY STAR in 2004. ------- Colorado Springs School District 11 Colorado Springs, Colorado Achievement: 10 Point Improvement Colorado Springs School District 11 has assessed the energy performance of more than 90 percent of its 61 schools, undertaken improvements, and elevated the average rating across the portfolio of schools by 10 points. District 11's success reflects a strong energy management program built on the commitment of the superintendent, board of education, and a full-time coordinator, as well as incentive awards for individual schools. Major projects have included a focus on preventive maintenance, holiday shutdowns, a Lights Out Campaign to raise awareness, and retro-commissioning. To date, District 11 has achieved total energy cost savings of almost $4 million, including more than $750,000 in 2004 alone, and has earned the ENERGY STAR for seven of its buildings. The 2004 savings are equivalent to the salaries of 27 additional entry-level teachers. Colorado Springs School District 11 joined ENERGY STAR in 2003. Columbus Hospitality Group Columbus, Ohio Achievement: 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating Columbus Hospitality Group owns two hotels in the Columbus area. Over the past few years, the company has undertaken a complete renovation of its properties, with the goal of making its hotels as energy-efficient as possible. Recent improvements have improved the company's energy performance and resulted in annual savings of more than $30,000 in energy and maintenance costs. These profitable upgrades were made while maintaining or increasing guest satisfaction. With its strong energy management program, Columbus Hospitality Group has achieved an average energy performance rating of 75 and earned the ENERGY STAR for one of its properties. Columbus Hospitality Group joined ENERGY STAR in 2000. Douglas, Emmett & Company Los Angeles, California Achievement: 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating Douglas Emmett is a full-service real estate investment and management firm whose properties total 8.9 million square feet, primarily made up of Class A high-rise and mid-rise office buildings and luxury apartment communities. Working closely with ENERGY STAR partner Servidyne Systems, Douglas Emmett has measured the energy performance of 43 buildings, increased energy efficiency by six percent, and earned the ENERGY STAR label for over 20 office buildings. These efforts have raised the company's average energy performance rating to over 75 across its portfolio. Douglas Emmett joined ENERGY STAR in 1999. Food Lion, LLC Salisbury, North Carolina Achievement: 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating Food, LLC is one of the largest supermarket chains in the United States, operating over 1,200 stores in an 11-state area. Over the past four years, Food Lion's comprehensive energy management program has helped the company reduce its energy use by more than 1.6 trillion BTUs, exceeding even its most optimistic energy management goals. During 2005, Food Lion brought the number of stores earning the ENERGY STAR label to 400 and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR Leader for achieving a portfolio- wide rating greater than 75. Food Lion joined ENERGY STAR in 1998. ------- Giant Eagle, Inc. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Achievement: 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating Giant Eagle's successful energy management program for its 215 corporate and independently operated supermarkets relies on a clear mission statement linked to long-term goals for energy reduction and routine progress reports. Giant Eagle uses EPA's energy performance rating system to identify stores that are good candidates for retrofit or re-commissioning and to track energy savings over time. In 2004 Giant Eagle became the first supermarket company to label over half of its corporate owned facilities, and now has over 110 labeled facilities. Giant Eagle joined ENERGY STAR in 2001. Granite Properties Piano, Texas Achievement: 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating Granite Properties is a diversified real estate investment and management company with offices in Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston. Granite owns, manages and leases more than three million square feet of office properties located in the South Central US. In 2004, Granite reduced its energy use significantly through capital investments, including installing more efficient equipment in its office buildings, and now routinely tracks the energy savings from these improvements. Granite also promotes energy efficiency to its employees and customers. Granite has achieved a portfolio-wide rating greater than 75 and owns and operates eight ENERGY STAR labeled properties. Granite Properties joined ENERGY STAR in 2000. Gresham-Barlow School District Gresham, Oregon Achievement: 30 Point Improvement & 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating Gresham-Barlow District 10 serves more than 12,000 students in 19 K-12 schools. In 1998, in order to reduce energy and water consumption, the District adopted an energy policy and began investing in building infrastructure, energy-efficient equipment, and energy management software. Since then, the District has decreased its overall energy use by 46% and saved a total of $4.3 million. For the school year 2004/2005, the District avoided utility costs of $1.1 million, with last year's savings equivalent to salaries for over 20 teaching positions. The District can see automatically the impact of its efficiency program on the ratings for its buildings as a result of its partnership with energy services company Save More Resources, which offers EPA's new automated rating feature. Gresham-Barlow District 10 has achieved the ENERGY STAR for 12 of its schools, more than half, and is the first school district in the nation to achieve a 30-point improvement in energy performance. The District joined ENERGY STAR in 2005. H-E-B Grocery Company San Antonio, Texas Achievement: 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating H-E-B is the largest private employer in Texas, with over 60,000 associates, more than 300 stores in Texas and Northern Mexico, and over $10 billion in annual sales. The company has made superior energy performance a major priority, with a management system than continuously identifies new opportunities for savings. In 2004, H-E-B earned recognition for establishing an energy efficiency baseline for all its buildings, and achieving a portfolio-wide energy rating of 75 or better. In addition, H-E-B has earned the ENERGY STAR label for 137 of its stores. H-E-B joined ENERGY STAR in 1998. ------- Independent School District 197 Mendota Heights, Minnesota Achievement: 10 Point Improvement ISD 197 is a small suburban school district comprised of five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The newest building is 30 years old. The District recently upgraded to more efficient lighting, and educates all employees and students about simple energy-saving steps, such as turning off lights and computers, using natural daylight whenever possible, and setting temperatures that balance comfort and efficiency. Since September 2003, the District has averaged a 14 percent improvement in energy efficiency and avoided costs of more than $150,000. ISD 197 joined ENERGY STAR in 2005. New York-Presbyterian Hospital New York, New York Achievement: 10 Point Improvement New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) comprises four hospitals - including the university hospitals of Columbia and Cornell - as well as medical office buildings that deliver comprehensive medical services to residents of New York City. NYPH rated the energy performance of all its facilities and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR Leader for achieving a 10-point portfolio-wide improvement. To continue generating savings, NYPH operates a conservation hotline to collect energy-saving ideas, rewards employees for their efforts to save energy, and sponsors energy-related events. NYPH's combined savings in energy is equivalent to generating more than $18 million in new business. New York- Presbyterian Hospital joined ENERGY STAR in 2003. Rochester City School District Rochester, New York Achievement: 10 Point Improvement Rochester City School District (RCSD) educates 34,000 students in more than 50 school buildings. RCSD's energy efficiency improvement of 10 percent reflects the understanding of the superintendent and chief financial officerthat energy efficiency and sound fiscal management go hand-in-hand. In partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, RCSD assessed the efficiency of all its facilities and conducted a district-wide energy audit. This allowed RCSD to make smart investments in high-efficiency lighting, energy management systems, HVAC systems, vending machine motion sensors, and other cost-effective energy upgrades. RCSD estimates that these improvements reduce its energy bill by more than $850,000 annually. RCSD joined ENERGY STAR in 2004. Saunders Hotel Group Boston, Massachusetts Achievement: 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating The Saunders Hotel Group, a third generation family business, owns and operates seven hotels throughout New England, including The Lenox and Copley Square Hotels in Boston's historic Back Bay. The "Saunders Hotel Initiatives to Nurture the Environment" (S.H.I.N.E.) program includes a company- wide pledge to conserve energy and improve performance. Regular energy benchmarking and tracking, in concert with monthly "Green Team" meetings, promote effective communications and help inform business decisions. Major projects have included installing heat pumps, adding lighting and heating controls, installing water-saving devices that reduce natural gas and water use, and focusing on operating and maintenance procedures. In 2004, The Saunders Hotel Group saved the equivalent of selling more than 4,700 guest rooms at the average daily rate. The company has earned the ENERGY STAR for two of its properties and joined ENERGY STAR in 2004. ------- South Colonie Central School District Albany, New York Achievement: 10 Point Improvement South Colonie Central School District is comprised of eight schools with a total K-12 enrollment of more than 5,700 students. Because energy is often the largest operating expense for school districts after salaries, South Colonie is committed to becoming as efficient as possible. The District has measured the energy efficiency of all of its school buildings and, through a strong energy management program, improved the overall efficiency of its buildings by more than 10 percent that resulted in substantial energy savings. With that success in hand, South Colonie plans to pursue more energy efficiency investments and educate staff, students, and the community about the financial and environmental benefits of energy efficiency. South Colonie joined ENERGY STAR in 2004. The Vanguard Group Valley Forge, Pennsylvania Achievement: 10 Point Improvement The Vanguard Group is one of the world's largest investment fund managers, with $750 billion in assets under management. Vanguard has 10,000 employees and 18 million institutional and individual investors. Vanguard rated the energy performance of its more than one million square feet of office and financial centers and, without large capital expenditure, has achieved significant improvement in energy efficiency through high-level commitment, aggressive efficiency goals for each facility, and an overall greater focus on energy management. In addition, Vanguard is helping advance energy efficiency on a national scale through the Vanguard Calvert Social Index Fund. This fund tracks the performance of the Calvert Social Index, a benchmark for socially-responsible investors, which in 2003 outperformed more than four-fifths of its peers in the overall US mutual fund universe with similar investment styles. Vanguard joined ENERGY STAR in 2001. USAA Real Estate Company San Antonio, Texas Achievement: 75 or Better Portfolio-Wide Average Rating USAA Real Estate Company, the investor, owner, and manager of real estate for its parent company, United Services Automobile Association, operates a portfolio of over 35 million square feet of commercial real estate nationwide. USAA focuses on "year to year" improvements across its properties, environmental benefits, and communicating to customers and the real estate industry as a whole about the value of efficient buildings. USAA's efforts to improve efficiency saved the company $2.6 million in energy costs in 2004. USAA has demonstrated a portfolio-wide rating greater than 75 and currently operates eight office buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR USAA joined ENERGY STAR in 2001. York County School Division Yorktown, Virginia Achievement: 10 Point Improvement The York County School Division is home to 18 schools, 1,800 employees, and more than 12,600 students. The Division recognized the importance of combining equipment upgrades with employee education to achieve substantial, sustained efficiency improvements. Equipment upgrades ranged from replacing outdated fluorescent lighting and installing occupancy sensors to installing efficient geo-thermal heat pumps. Employees learned about the importance of using window blinds to reduce heating and cooling needs, switching off lighting and equipment, and using fans to enhance cooling. This coordinated approach helped the Division achieve savings of more than $210,000 in fiscal year 2005 alone. York County School Division joined ENERGY STAR in 2005. ------- |