ENERGY STAR National Building Competition 2014

The 2014 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition results are in! In 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) upgraded the competition with a new twist – five or more buildings could compete as a team in order to cut down on their energy and water usage. More than 100 teams from throughout the United States (and its territories) competed with 5,500 buildings participating.

The competitors tracked their monthly energy and water consumption using EPA’s online energy tracking tool, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The winners were selected based on the largest percentage reduction in “energy weight,” which refers to energy use adjusted for weather and the overall square footage of the team.

While elementary schools have won the past two competitions, this year team Going Blue for Woodville, from Woodville, Alabama was awarded gold for achieving a 25% reduction in the team’s energy use. Woodville Chapel from the winning team was also recognized as EPA’s #1 Building Energy Saver. Over the one-year competition period, the chapel was able to reduce its energy usage by 68%, representing approximately $200 in energy cost savings, and preventing two MtCO2e greenhouse gas emissions. The Going Blue for Woodville team attributed working together as a team as the main factor to its success. Project leaders, council members, and others were involved in the decision-making process, and were able to set realistic energy saving goals.

Overall, the 5,500 participating competitors saved a combined total of more than 2 billion kBtus of energy, an estimated $50 million on utility bills, and reduced water use by more than 250 million gallons. Read the 2014 wrap-up report for more details and behind-the-scenes stories that boosted energy savings in 2014.