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Quick Facts

  • Buildings use $200 billion worth of electricity and natural gas each year.
  • If the energy efficiency of U.S. Buildings improved by 10 percent, Americans would save about $20 billion and reduce greenhouse gases equal to the emissions from about 30 million vehicles
  • The energy used by commercial and industrial buildings in the U.S. is responsible for nearly 50 percent of our national emissions of greenhouse gases

What is the ENERGY STAR Challenge?

The ENERGY STAR Challenge is a national call-to-action to improve the energy efficiency of America's commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more.

Who Can Take the Challenge?

Whether you're associated with a small school or a large corporation, a local government or a national association, a community hospital or a hotel group, a manufacturing plant or an architecture firm — you can be part of the ENERGY STAR Challenge and help improve the energy efficiency of America's commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more.

More and more people are taking the ENERGY STAR Challenge every day. Visit our on-line sign up and join schools, auto dealers, Girl Scout troops, town councils, hospitals, churches, and more in the fight against global warming.

Architecture and engineering firms have the opportunity to leave their mark on the world by designing buildings that are sustainable now and well into the future. Join the growing number of architecture and engineering firms responding to the ENERGY STAR Challenge by submitting energy efficient design projects.

What You Can Do

Challenge participants and their members are encouraged to take as many of these actions as possible:

  • Design commercial buildings to be energy efficient.
  • Measure and track energy use
  • Develop a plan for energy improvements
  • Make energy efficiency upgrades
  • Help spread the energy efficiency word to others.
  • Become an ENERGY STAR Partner

Now is the time to help build a better world and take many of the same steps at work that you are taking at home to protect our environment. The ENERGY STAR Challenge Toolkit can show you how.

Build a Better World 10% at a Time.

The ENERGY STAR Challenge Brochure — Folded Version PDF (4.31MB)