Battle of the Buildings EPA's National Building Competition
REGISTER TODAY!
Open from
May 1 – May 31
Are you ready to stop wasting and start saving? Register today for the U.S Environmental Protection Agency's 2013 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition! It's a fun way to add fuel to your energy management program and get everyone in your organization excited to save.
When Buildings Compete, Everyone Wins
EPA's ENERGY STAR National Building Competition pits buildings from across the nation against each other in a battle to see who can trim their energy waste the most.
You'll save money on your energy bills and get ready-to-use materials from EPA to promote your wins. And your energy-saving efforts reduce greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in a cleaner, healthier environment for the rest of us.
Tenants Can Compete, Too
NEW! This year, building owners and managers aren't the only ones that can compete. For the first time ever, EPA is inviting tenants to participate! So whether you lease a whole building or just part of one, you can join in the battle and work off your waste with help from ENERGY STAR.
All You Need is 2012 and 2013 Data
To register, you'll submit your 2012 energy use information to EPA during the application period. Then you'll work to improve efficiency during 2013 and report your savings at the midpoint and final weigh-ins. The competitor that reduces its energy use the most on a percentage basis will be recognized by EPA as the winner.
Get Some Well-Deserved Recognition
Whether you're a building owner, manager, tenant, or communications superstar, EPA has new ways for you to win. This year, EPA will recognize:
The Biggest Energy Loser. This is the building or space that reduces its energy use the most on a percentage basis over the course of the competition.
MVP – Most Valuable Participant. Teams competing for MVP fill out a short communications scorecard during midpoint and final weigh-ins. The building with the highest combined score of energy use reductions and communications activities wins MVP!
Top Tenant. This is the tenant that reduces its energy use the most on a percentage basis over the course of the competition.
20% Reduction. And lastly, back by popular demand, any building or space that reduces its energy use by at least a 20% will have the opportunity to get recognition.
I'm In! How Do I Sign Up?
Applying is easier than ever. Visit energystar.gov/BattleOfTheBuildings for step-by-step instructions on how to sign up one, several, or all of the buildings in your portfolio using a Portfolio Manager report.
2012 by the Numbers
$25,000 That's the average savings for competitors who reduced energy consumption in 2012. They also reduced energy use by an average of 8 percent!
89 buildings That's how many competitors saved 20% or more during the course of the 2012 competition.
Spotlight on Demarest Elementary School
Demarest Elementary School in Bloomfield, NJ, won in 2012 by cutting its energy use by a whopping 52 percent in one year! Even more impressive? They achieved these savings primarily through no- and low-cost measures, like smart operations and maintenance and engaging staff to save.
New Tools Released to Support Sound School Siting
Are you familiar with EPA's School Siting Guidelines? Do you want to know how to train decision-makers on how to use the School Siting Guidelines? Join the Georgia Conservancy, Mothers & Others for Clean Air, and EPA on June 14, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST at the EPA's Atlanta office for a special train the trainer workshop on how to effectively deliver the training program, Old School, New School, This Place, That Place – An Introduction to Utilizing the EPA School Siting Guidelines.
We are joining with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and encouraging organizations and architects to join the ENERGY STAR 2013 Race to Denver. Participating in the Race is easy and there is no cost for joining–plus, your organization, government, or school may receive national recognition! Read on to learn about more about the competition.
The Race is a friendly competition among building owners, managers, and architects in three regions across the country–the East Coast, the Big Easy Central, and the West Coast–to see which region can submit the most projects that achieve Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR (DEES) by May 10. To be eligible for DEES certification, design projects must meet the commercial building space type criteria and receive an ENERGY STAR energy performance score of 75 or higher from the online Target Finder tool.
Join the Race and be recognized by EPA on the ENERGY STAR website, via social media, and at the AIA National Convention in Denver June 20-22! The Race offers benefits to all participants:
Enhance your organization, government, or school's image by saving energy with ENERGY STAR.
Save money – projects that achieved DEES in 2012 are expected to save more than $22 million annually!
Make it easier to achieve benchmarking mandates – projects that achieve DEES are already one step closer to superior energy performance.
Earn visible recognition – EPA will showcase your project and firm during the race and your project boards after the race online and in the ENERGY STAR Gallery at the AIA convention – these venues attract thousands of viewers. Spread the word on your website and/or social media.
The May 10 project deadline is fast approaching! Find out now how you can enjoy the many benefits of the 2013 Race to Denver by attending this brief webinar followed by Q&A.
Good luck!
IAQ & Schools Videos
"Taking Action," Video shows how one school successfully implemented the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit.
"Ventilation Basics," explains the importance of good indoor air quality and shows how to operate and maintain school ventilation systems effectively.
"Walkthrough: Four Schools Making a Difference," illustrates how to conduct a thorough school indoor air quality walkthrough. School personnel focus on environmental health issues directly linked to managing indoor air quality.
Virtual School Walkthrough: Identifying and Responding to Common IAQ Problems
Webinar Resources Now Available!
The Virtual School Walkthrough: Identifying and Responding to Common IAQ Problems webinar was held on February 26, 2013, and provided participants with a comprehensive and effective process for identifying, diagnosing and solving common IAQ issues.
A Question and Answer document from this webinar is now available on the IAQ Tools for SchoolsWebinar Resources page!
Due to the large file size of this webinar's presentation slides, we will not be posting a PDF of the webinar slides online. However, you can watch a video of a school walkthrough on Northwest Clean Air Agency's website to gain access to the pictures and images that were used during the webinar.
Want more information? Checkout EPA's online resources! Visit the IAQ Tools for Schoolswebinar archive to view the webinar follow-up materials from previous Virtual School Walkthrough webinars, including:
US EPA Tools for Schools Program's Newest Resource
US EPA IAQ Tools for Schools Program's newest resource, the IAQ and Student Performance Web site, offers the latest scientific evidence demonstrating the relationship of IAQ to key factors that influence student health and performance.
US EPA announces new tool for schools
EPA has announced a new tool for schools: Envisioning Excellence: Lessons from Effective School Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Programs.
Envisioning Excellence helps schools take effective action to advance health, safety, and wellness initiatives. Envisioning Excellence presents the Framework for Effective School IAQ Programs: Six Key Drivers – guidelines that detail the organizational approaches and practices that are fundamental to school IAQ program success – and presents five profiles in excellence to demonstrate how different school districts applied the Framework to create effective and enduring IAQ programs.
Click here to view a copy of Envisioning Excellence: Lessons from Effective School Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Programs.
Click here to view a Snapshot of Five Profiles in Excellence, a document highlighting the key features of each school's innovative program.
Make sure you have your Tools for Schools (TfS) Action Kit
The IAQ TfS Action Kit shows schools how to carry out a practical plan to improve indoor air problems at little- or no-cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff. The Kit provides best practices, industry guidelines, sample policies, and a sample IAQ management plan. The voluntary guidance can save schools time and money so that resources can be directed toward educating children. The IAQ TfS Action Kit is co-sponsored by the National Parent Teacher Association, National Education Association, Association of School Business Officials, American Federation of Teachers, and the American Lung Association.
You can learn more about this at: www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/actionkit.html
Learn how to manage an IAQ program in your school district
EPA's IAQ TfS Program is designed to provide schools with common sense, easy-to-follow, guidance for developing, implementing, and sustaining an IAQ management program. An effective IAQ management program addresses both short-term and long-term IAQ issues, and puts in place policies and standard procedures to prevent future IAQ concerns.
EPA's Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) is a free software tool that helps school systems effectively manage environmental issues.
Download this at: www.epa.gov/schools/
Seeking answers for key questions regarding high performance schools? Get them at: www.epa.gov/iaq/
Survey results from the first national assessment of indoor air quality management practices and policies indicates that 22% of schools in the U.S. have IAQ practices that meet EPA guidelines.
Access this at ehp.niehs.nih.gov
EPA Awards for School Districts
There are three awards for which schools and districts may apply:
The IAQ TfS Great Start Award is for schools and school districts that are in the initial stages of implementing the IAQ TfS Program.
Details and application forms at www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/greatstartaward.html
The IAQ TfS Leadership Award is for schools and school districts that have shown significant progress in implementing an IAQ management program.
Details and application forms at www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/leadershipaward.html
The IAQ TfS Excellence Award is EPA's most prestigious IAQ award, presented only to schools and school districts with exemplary IAQ programs and that have shown exceptional commitment to good IAQ in schools.
Details and application forms at www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/excellenceaward.html
Frequently Asked Questions:
An excellent compilation from EPA which answers most of your common questions on indoor air quality.
Available at: www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/scfaqs.html
E-mail an EPA official regarding indoor air quality in schools:
A concern regarding indoor air quality in your school? Need more information and resources from EPA?
This Web site was developed under a cooperative agreement
awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to CEFPI.
Demarest Elementary School in Bloomfield, NJ, won in 2012 by cutting its energy use by a whopping 52 percent in one year! Even more impressive? They achieved these savings primarily through no- and low-cost measures, like smart operations and maintenance and engaging staff to save.
