Earn the ENERGY STAR for Your House of Worship

Congregations can sign up for EPA's Energy Star for Congregations training sessions, here.
What you can do Now, expanded tools available from EPA's ENERGY STAR Program make it possible to:
· Track energy use in your facility--even solar and wind
· Measure associated greenhouse gas emissions
· Set targets for investment priorities
· Track the results of your efforts
· Manage your energy costs and your carbon footprint
· Have your energy performance expressed in a rating for comparison with others nationwide
· Achieve a rating of 75+ and be eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR designation
Why it is important
*The nation's 370,000 houses of worship spend $3 billion on energy each year. An ENERGY STAR qualified facility uses less energy, is less expensive to operate and causes fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a non-qualified facility
* Cutting energy use by just 10% in the nation's houses of worship would save $315 million for congregations' other priorities
* The same 10% reduction would also save nearly 2 billion kWh each year and prevent more than 1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions
* You join the fight against global warming
* You are an example to your community and your members, educating and inspiring similar energy-saving choices at home and at work How it can be done
* Portfolio Manager, EPA's popular, free, on-line energy tracking tool for facilities has been enhanced
* EPA has expanded the National Energy Performance Rating system to houses of worship
* Attend a free, informative training session on how to use Portfolio Manager
* Enter your data into Portfolio Manager and get started Your congregation, and your facility, can join the nation's schools, offices, and other facilities that are already rating their energy use. Since 2008, the use of Portfolio Manager has more than doubled. By mid-year 2009, nearly 100,000 buildings have received energy performance ratings, and the number continues to grow. Through ENERGY STAR, EPA provides a proven energy management strategy and no-cost tools for public and private organizations to save energy and money through increased energy efficiency. The houses of worship rating expresses energy performance on a scale of 1-to-100, with ratings of 75 or higher eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR designation. To create the rating system, EPA has examined significant drivers of energy use in houses of worship, evaluated variables, and incorporated them into a model to standardize energy use in these facilities. Allowance is made for objective comparisons across different building types and locations to account for differences in operating conditions, regional weather data, and other important considerations. Now you can assess the energy performance of your buildings; make more informed budgetary, investment, and management decisions; and be able to publicize your energy efficient achievements. Sign up for a training session today and join other congregations in their efforts to save energy and enhance their missions of stewardship of the earth.
Building Star 09 Free Training Sessions Portfolio Manager 101 for Congregations
Sept. 17, 2009 11:30 am
Sept. 24, 2009 11:30 am
Sept. 29, 2009 11:30 am Sign Up Today!
Go to the ENERGY STAR training page Look for the sessions entitled "Portfolio Manager 101 for Congregations"