By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)– Kaiser Permanente’s Hilo, Honolulu and Mapunapuna clinic buildings have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies that the buildings perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.
“Kaiser Permanente is pleased to accept EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Tony Moiso, Director, Facilities Services. “Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.”
Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Kaiser Permanente improved its energy performance by making cost-effective improvements to its buildings, focusing on continuously improving energy utilization and looking for green alternatives.
“Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s buildings is critical to protecting our environment, ” said Jean Lupinacci, Chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial & Industrial Branch. “From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification.”
To earn the ENERGY STAR, Kaiser Permanente took the following actions:
– Implemented Kaiser Permanente’s National Sustainable Energy Policy
– Upgraded to more energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment
– Completed multiple lighting upgrade projects
EPA’s ENERGY STAR energy performance scale helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA’s 1-100 scale may be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification. Commercial buildings that can earn the ENERGY STAR include offices, bank branches, data centers, financial centers, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, hotels, K-12 schools, medical offices, supermarkets, dormitories, houses of worship, and warehouses.
ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products as well as new homes and commercial and industrial buildings that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Over the past twenty years, American families and businesses have saved a total of nearly $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions with help from ENERGY STAR.
For more information about ENERGY STAR Certification for Commercial Buildings: www.energystar.gov/labeledbuildings