Higher Education Newsletter: October – November 2004

University of Michigan Featured in Building Operating Management

In the September 2004 issue of Building Operating Management, the University of Michigan and other 2004 ENERGY STAR Award winners were featured in an article entitled “Selling Energy Projects.”

The article discusses ways to gain your administrator’s support for energy efficiency programs. Bill Verge, Associate Director of Plant Operations for the University of Michigan, describes in the article how his team approached university management:

“ ‘Universities tend to plan very long term,’ he says. ‘Facilities are built with the expectation of serving the community for 50 years or more.’ As a result, Verge says, life-cycle analysis, including the benefits of energy-efficient design, is a standard practice. Verge benefits from financial officers who are capable of considering long-range efficiency gains.”

ENERGY STAR provides a primer that lays out financing options for facilities managers. Learn more about how Mr. Verge keeps his top management updated in Buildings Operating Management on his team’s progress.

Welcome to Our New Partners

• Arcadia University, Pennsylvania
• Middlebury College, Vermont
• University of Northern Colorado
• U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado

2005 ENERGY STAR Award Applications

The ENERGY STAR Award applications are available, and the deadline for submissions is December 15, 2004. Winners will be recognized in a formal ceremony in Washington, DC, and will join an elite circle of past winners, including the University of Michigan and Dutchess Community College. We encourage you to review the application and evaluate your organization’s achievements. For applications and more information, visit 2005 ENERGY STAR Awards Ceremony.

New Building Design Recognition

To reduce the air pollution caused by commercial building energy use, EPA is expanding ENERGY STAR to include new commercial buildings in order to encourage design of energy-efficient buildings. Architecture firms will now be able to distinguish building designs, using the “Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR” designation, if the building is expected to qualify for the ENERGY STAR label once in operation. For more information, visit ENERGY STAR New Building Design.

New Commercial Equipment Qualifies for the ENERGY STAR

EPA recently announced the following ENERGY STAR qualified Commercial Foodservice Equipment product categories: fryers, hot food holding cabinets, solid door reach-in refrigerators and freezers, and steam cookers. EPA works with manufacturing partners to increase the energy efficiency of products through more energy-efficient designs while delivering the same, if not better, product performance than standard models. To view the ENERGY STAR Commercial Foodservice Equipment specifications, please visit ENERGY STAR Qualified Products.

New Logo Required by Year End

Over a year ago, EPA launched an updated suite of ENERGY STAR logo marks. We provided an extensive phase-in period of the marks so as not to disrupt partners’ ongoing marketing efforts with the old logo. All partners must be using the new marks by January 2005. To download the new marks, go to ENERGY STAR Logos. If you have lost or forgotten your user name and/or password, call the ENERGY STAR Hotline at 1-888-STAR-YES and request a new one.

ENERGY STAR Networking Web Conferences

ENERGY STAR hosts monthly energy management networking Web conferences for partners. These networking opportunities take place on the third Wednesday of each month from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM, EST. Pre-registration is necessary, and you will need a 56K modem (minimum) with a separate phone line. Upcoming topics include the following:

• December: No Web Conference Scheduled
• January 19: ENERGY STAR 2005 Update

To register, visit the on-line calendar and select ENERGY STAR Monthly Web Conference.