California Leads the Nation in Energy Star Buildings

Los Angeles and 24 other cities were recognized Tuesday by the EPA for using engineering and construction techniques that reduce energy consumption.

Four California cities made the Top 25 Energy Star Buildings List. San Francisco ranked second with 194 buildings, while Sacramento and Riverside also made the list.

"Energy Star buildings typically use 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than average buildings," said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

"EPA commends all of these cities and all of the others, as well as countless individuals, who are now using more energy efficient appliances and dwellings," she said. "They are saving energy, saving money and protecting our environment."

Energy use in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants accounts for nearly half of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and nearly half of energy consumption nationwide.

One L.A. building that has made the Energy Star list every year since 2002 is 6500 Wilshire Boulevard, a Los Angeles landmark since 1986.

The 23-story office building on the Miracle Mile offers sweeping views of the Pacific coast and downtown Los Angeles. Designed by I.M. Pei, the award-winning structure is surrounded by an acre of botanical gardens.

Botanical gardens surround the Energy Star rated office building at 6500 Wilshire Boulevard. (Photo courtesy 6500 Wilshire)

The building is equipped with an advanced, software energy management system that minimizes energy consumption through precise temperature and equipment controls. The system features off-site HVAC monitoring for faster after-hours control.

Two 570-ton, high-efficiency chillers run on an environmentally safe refrigerant and are powered with premium efficient motors. Variable frequency drive units have been installed on all 23 air handling units, two cooling tower fan motors, and three garage exhaust fan motors. Just utilizing the garage variable frequency drive exhaust fan saves about $100,000 annually in energy costs.

All incandescent bulbs have been replaced with low wattage fluorescent bulbs and incandescent bulbs are prohibited in the building. Tenant spaces and restrooms feature motion sensor controls for lighting, and exterior lighting is controlled by photoelectric sensors. Water-saving flush valves in restrooms help the property make more efficient use of water resources.

To further reduce the building's environmental footprint, 6500 Wilshire provides its tenants a convenient recycling program. In addition to typical recyclables like cardboard, the building management team facilitates tenants' recycling of potentially hazardous items such as light bulbs, batteries, and computers.

All tenants agree not to waste electricity or water and to cooperate with 6500 Wilshire's energy efficiency efforts.

In 2008, more than 3,300 commercial buildings and manufacturing plants earned the Energy Star, representing savings of more than $1 billion in utility bills and reduction of more than seven million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

These buildings include schools, hospitals, office buildings, courthouses, grocery stores, retail centers and auto assembly plants.

A total of 6,200 buildings and plants across the United States now qualify for the Energy Star label.

Taken together, they are saving a total of $1.7 billion on their utility bills and preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than two million cars a year, the EPA estimates.

For more than a decade, EPA has worked with businesses and organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the voluntary, market-based Energy Star certification system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.