Energy Star office buildings are a great alternative for tenants who are environmentally conscience, but do not want to pay the premium rent associated with LEED certified properties. Many of my clients ask, “What is an Energy Star building?” Lisa Jackson, an administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), put it best when she said “Energy Star buildings typically use 35% less energy and emit 35% less greenhouse gases than average buildings.”
According to EPA, in 2008, more than 3,300 commercial buildings and manufacturing plants earned the Energy Star – EPA’s label for high efficiency – representing savings of more than $1 billion in utility bills and more than 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. These buildings include schools, hospitals, office buildings, courthouses, grocery stores, retail centers and auto assembly plants.
The EPA recently published a Top 25 list of cities with the most Energy Star qualified buildings. Los Angeles won top prize, while San Francisco, Houston, Washington D.C. and Dallas rounded out the top five.
