Louisville ranked among nation’s best cities for ENERGY STAR certified buildings

Has 55 ENERGY STAR buildings

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 1, 2016) — Louisville is ranked No. 25 in the nation among metropolitan areas with the most ENERGY STAR certified buildings, according to rankings released this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Louisville is also No. 5 among mid-sized metro areas. This is the third straight year that Louisville has been ranked on this list.

“I am very proud of our commercial building owners who have chosen to have their buildings be ENERGY STAR certified,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “Because this certification good for the environment and makes great financial sense, I encourage more building owners to take the steps to certification.”

Louisville earned its ranking with a count of 55 ENERGY STAR buildings, saving $4.08 million in 2015. The energy saved is equivalent to the electricity use of 3,798 homes in one year.

To begin the steps towards ENERGY STAR certification, the ENERGY STAR program allows building owners to track their energy and water consumption over time using its Portfolio Manager software. Participants enter building information and at least 12 months of energy usage data into Portfolio Manager — a free, online energy tracking software. Buildings that perform in the top 25 percent of their peers, receiving a minimum score of 75 out of 100, are eligible to receive the ENERGY STAR Certification.

Since 2013, the Office of Sustainability has offered free verification services from a licensed architect or engineer to validate ENERGY STAR Certification submission data for eligible buildings.

“The ENERGY STAR program is an invaluable resource to help organizations understand their energy use and to gain recognition for energy efficient practices,” said Maria Koetter, director of the Office of Sustainability. “It is also a key program to help the city achieve its energy conservation goals.”

ENERGY STAR certified buildings cost $0.50 less per square foot to operate than average office buildings and use nearly two times less energy per square foot  than other buildings. Energy benchmarking in the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager can save taxpayer money, strengthen our economy, and protect the environment for decades to come.

Since 1999, more than 27,000 ENERGY STAR certified buildings across America have helped save more than $3.8 billion in annual utility bills. The greenhouse gas prevention through the certification is equal to the annual electricity use of more than 2.6 million homes.