As communities strive to save energy, save money, and fight global warming, efforts to increase the energy efficiency of our nation's commercial buildings are spreading rapidly. Governments, companies, and other organizations are leading by example in their own buildings, while also engaging their communities to meet climate protection goals.
Through ENERGY STAR, EPA provides a platform that can be leveraged to promote energy efficiency throughout any community. Local governments, membership organizations, and others can use the process below to employ ENERGY STAR tools and resources in your energy improvement efforts, and follow along with Louisville, KY and others at each step for real-world examples of a community active in the fight against global warming.
As an early signatory of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, Mayor Jerry E. Abramson and the City of Louisville, KY, have committed to the fight against global warming. In 2007, Mayor Abramson signed on as an ENERGY STAR partner and took the ENERGY STAR Challenge, setting a goal to reduce energy use in Louisville by 10 percent or more by the year 2010. The city has also incorporated the ENERGY STAR Challenge into its Go Green Louisville! 
campaign, an initiative to "go green and save green" by adopting sustainable practices.
Louisville Metro Government has made progress towards meeting environmental stewardship goals, including reducing the city's vehicle fleet, consolidating government facilities, and purchasing more environmentally preferable products and vehicles.
As Mayor Abramson promotes ENERGY STAR resources to schools and business leaders in Louisville, the City is leading by example and beginning its efforts by benchmarking all city-owned buildings in EPA's Portfolio Manager energy tracking tool. By adding benchmarking in Portfolio Manager to the city's existing energy service contract with Energy Watchdog®, the city has provided its facility managers with access to EPA's 1–100 national energy performance rating for eligible buildings, and can track carbon emissions associated with the operation of all city buildings.
Louisville Mayor Jerry E. Abramson and the city's staff launched their effort in December 2007. During two days of kick-off meetings, they announced the city's partnership with ENERGY STAR and motivated area business leaders to join the Challenge.
The first meeting was held with city leaders and managers of city-operated facilities to explore how to use ENERGY STAR tools and resources to reduce energy waste in city buildings and publicize successes along the way.
At the second meeting, Mayor Abramson announced his commitment to launch a community energy efficiency campaign to more than 50 of the city's business leaders. At the meeting, attendees were provided with background information on the ENERGY STAR program for buildings, and best practices for achieving energy efficiency improvements with ENERGY STAR were shared. Representatives from the city's key industries attended the meeting to gain an understanding of their roles in helping the city meet its energy efficiency and climate protection goals. Attendees also had the opportunity to provide Mayor Abramson and city staff direct input on the necessary elements for a successful energy efficiency campaign in Louisville.
The city then reached out to private sector building owners and operators, and important local businesses such as Louisville Gas and Electric (an E.ON Company), Papa John's Pizza, and RML Property Management have joined ENERGY STAR as a result.
(13KB) (13KB) (19KB) (2.46MB) (1.95MB)
Directly following the Mayor's ENERGY STAR kick-off meeting, local commercial real estate associations joined Louisville Metro Government to form the Louisville Energy Alliance to help address concerns about rising energy costs and to answer Mayor Abramson's call to promote energy efficiency. Founding members of this public-private partnership include:
This solid working relationship between the key city staff and local building owners and managers is providing community-wide momentum to the city's campaign to promote energy efficiency. In February 2008, Mayor Abramson and the Louisville Energy Alliance hosted a Commercial Real Estate Energy Luncheon, attended by over 100 local building and business professionals, to learn about best practices to save energy and further plan the city's energy efficiency campaign.
On July 1, 2008, the Louisville Energy Alliance launched the Louisville Kilowatt Crackdown, a year-long competition to promote and recognize building energy efficiency. The competition is open to owners and managers of all commercial buildings in the city, including office buildings, small businesses, hotels, healthcare providers, K–12 schools, and colleges and universities.
Modeled after the highly-successful BOMA Seattle/King County Kilowatt Crackdown, this contest allows property managers and building owners in Louisville to demonstrate their leadership in energy-efficient building operations, showcase the most energy-efficient buildings in the market, and share best management practices to eliminate energy waste.
Participants will measure and track their building's energy performance using EPA's Portfolio Manager and work to improve performance during the contest period of July 2008–July 2009. Louisville Gas and Electric, the local utility provider, will make electronic energy use data available to all participants in the campaign.
Participants will be recognized in three categories following the first year of the contest:
Louisville already has many success stories to share with the community, and the city has recognized participants in the ENERGY STAR Challenge who are helping to meet the city's goals. In addition to receiving the ENERGY STAR plaque provided by EPA, all building owners in Louisville that have earned the ENERGY STAR for superior energy performance receive a certificate signed by Mayor Abramson and a certificate from Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear.
(8KB)