Louisville ranked 25th in EPA Top Cities with ENERGY STAR certified buildings

60 buildings have received certification since 1999

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 11, 2014) — Louisville was recognized for its sustainability efforts, being ranked 25^th in the 2014 Top Cities list with the most ENERGY STAR-certified buildings. Louisville is back on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency list after having last been recognized in 2010.

“I challenged property owners and managers last year to certify at least 25 buildings and the city responded in a big way,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “The EPA ranking confirms Louisville’s commitment to providing building owners and managers with the technical guidance, best practices and training they need to make their buildings more energy efficient, save money and reduce carbon emissions.”

Cities are ranked based on how many buildings achieved ENERGY STAR certification in 2013. The 25 newly certified buildings include 11 Kroger facilities, seven JCPS buildings, four Rite Aids, two Target stores and one UPS office.

In all, the 60 buildings in Louisville that received ENERGY STAR certification since 1999 have reduced their annual energy consumption by 274 million kBtu, equivalent to the emissions from 6,700 homes, and saved more than $5.7 million in energy costs.

Louisville ranked 25^th on the Top Cities list in 2010, and in an effort to get back on the list, Fischer issued a citywide challenge to certify 25 buildings in 2013.

“This energy reduction is helping to achieve the city’s goal identified in Louisville’s sustainability plan, Sustain Louisville, of decreasing energy use per capita 25 percent by 2025,” said Maria Koetter, director of the city’s Office of Sustainability. “This year, Mayor Fischer launched a new challenge, and we hope to reduce energy use even further.”

The Mayor’s 2014 Energy Star Building Challenge is for the community to certify 30 new buildings, a 20 perccent increase over 2013.

To qualify for the ENERGY STAR certification, a building must earn a 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher, indicating that it outperforms 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide as verified by a professional engineer or a registered architect. ENERGY STAR certified buildings use an average of 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than typical buildings. Many types of commercial facilities can earn the ENERGY STAR, including office buildings, K-12 schools and retail stores.

“Louisville’s ranking shows how America’s leading cities are embracing efforts to protect the environment and fight climate change,” said Jean Lupinacci, chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial & Industrial program. “This partnership between cities and business leaders demonstrates the tangible benefits that result from embracing energy efficiency as a simple and effective way to save money, reduce emissions and protect the environment.”

More than 23,000 buildings across America earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in 2013. These buildings saved more than $3.1 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual electricity use from 2.2 million homes.