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Buildings can cut consumption to gain an EPA title
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Many Americans are familiar with NBC’s The Biggest Loser. The highly popular show encourages overweight contestants to trim their waistlines. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program is hoping to create a similar media sensation with a contest that asks buildings across the nation to trim their energy consumption.
The New York Times reports the National Building Competition is pitting an office building owned by Morgan Stanley in Midtown Manhattan, a medical center in Cleveland, a department store in Southern California, elementary schools in Colorado and New Jersey and others against each other for the chance to be the EPA’s very own "biggest loser."
Maura Beard, a spokeswoman for the EPA’s Energy Star program, told the New York Times, "we came up with the idea that most everyone could relate to the idea of losing weight, and that having U.S. buildings try to shed their energy waste made sense."
The 14 contestants – chosen from more than 200 applicants – are encouraged to improve their efficiency through simple practices, such as turning off lights or unplugging power charges to reduce "vampire draw."
Citizens can monitor their progress on the Energy Star website. So far, a Sears department store in Maryland is off to a strong start as it boasts the lowest initial energy use intensity. Still, the competition will be judged based on the percent EUI reduction achieved by these institutions. The EPA also ensures that the percent reduction will consider weather changes so no building is unfairly penalized.
The winner – to be announced in October – will be the building who saves the most energy between September 2009 and August 2010. While no official prize will be awarded, the winner can claim bragging rights as the Environmental Protection Agency’s trimmest building. Plus, all will have benefited from cutting costs and helping the environment.
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