Minnesota Energy Star Challenge Aims for Efficiency, Savings
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Energy Star Challenge, announced Aug.
Dan Pleasant
Obama Signs Energy Efficiency Bill
WASHINGTON — President Obama passed on May 1 a bipartisan energy efficiency bill that provides incentives to cut energy use in commercial buildings, manufacturing plants and homes.
Read MoreD.C. Tops Energy Star List
WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia ranks first in the total number of energy-efficient buildings, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It’s the first time in six years that D.C. has knocked Los Angeles out of the top spot.
Read MoreTenants Prefer Sustainable Buildings, Research Finds
CHICAGO — Tenants are happier with buildings that make an effort to be sustainable, researchers at Chicago-based DTZ, a real estate and property investment company, have concluded.
Allison Porter, DTZ’s vice president, sustainability services, and DTZ Economist Rebecca Rockey evaluated responses to a tenant survey developed by Kingsley Associates, a research organization for the real estate industry that’s based in San Francisco. The company provides surveys for building tenants, among others.
Read MoreManhattan Office Building Earns LEED-EB Gold
NEW YORK — A midtown Manhattan building has become only the third Class B office property in New York City to achieve LEED-Existing Building (EB) Gold Certification.
Interest in Alternative Green Building Rating Systems Surges
NEW YORK — In two years, interest in alternative green building rating systems, such as Green Globes and Energy Star, has surged 250 percent, according to a new report. Additionally, for the first time in the report’s history, more than half of building executives surveyed reported that sustainability practices impacted their decisions about choosing a supplier or service provider.
Read MoreLouisiana School Wins National Energy Efficiency Competition
BATON ROUGE, La. — Upgrades to facility controls and the energy management system (EMS) at Claiborne Elementary in Baton Rouge helped the school win the Energy Star National Building Competition, Battle of the Buildings.
Minneapolis Ranks First in Green Building
LOS ANGELES — Minneapolis is outpacing other U.S. cities for green commercial space and green commercial real estate.
Cleveland Clinic Earns Highest Energy Star Award
CLEVELAND — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Cleveland Clinic with its highest Energy Star Award — the 2013 Energy Star Partner of the Year-Sustained Excellence Award — for the clinic’s leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. An Energy Star partner since 2008, Cleveland Clinic will be awarded for its many environmental efforts at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 26.
Read MorePennsylvania House Passes Green Building Bill
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 34, which lays out the high-performance building standards for buildings owned or substantially leased by the state. If approved by the senate and the governor, the new law would require these buildings to achieve an Energy Star rating of 75 or better, which indicates top performance, while a score of 50 indicates average energy efficiency. The bill passed with an overwhelming majority, by a vote of 163-32.
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