Beech Street Elementary School has earned the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification, which
signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar buildings
nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance
levels set by the EPA.
"We are pleased to accept EPA’s ENERGY STAR
certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Kevin
O’Maley, chief facilities manager for the City of Manchester. "Through
this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental
stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.”
Manchester School District currently has 9
energy star certified schools, and that number is expected to grow to 14 by the
end of this school year.
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. Beech
Street School improved its energy performance by managing energy strategically
across the entire organization and by making cost-effective improvements to its
building. The school has prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the
electricity use from 29.8 households for a year.
“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, Beech Street School has
reduced its energy consumption by 41.3% since 2009. To achieve these savings,
city employees inspected the school with infrared cameras to determine areas of
heat loss and improve efficiency. High efficiency mechanical systems were
installed. Additionally, city employees ensured that the environmental quality
in the school did not suffer as a result of efficiency. Air quality,
temperature, humidity, and lighting levels were monitored.
ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a
voluntary partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy
efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 65 different
kinds of products, 1.4 million new homes, and 20,000 commercial buildings,
schools and industrial plants that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications
set by the EPA. Over the past twenty years, American families and businesses
have saved more than $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.8
billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions with help from ENERGY STAR.
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