The EPA has announced the winner of the 2011 Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings. The University of Central Florida has emerged victorious in a contest featuring 245 buildings from across the country, fighting to reduce costs, protect health and the environment, and save energy.
The winning building was a UFC parking garage located on the main campus, where energy use was decreased by a massive 63.2%. All-in-all, competitors in the battle cut energy costs by $5.2 million.
“All of the Energy Star National Building Competition participants are seizing the opportunities energy efficiency presents to cut pollution and save money. Congratulations to the University of Central Florida for leading the way,” says EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Increasing energy efficiency is a key strategy for securing our nation's energy future, and Energy Star can help everyone from homeowners and small businesses to big buildings cut energy use and protect health by reducing air pollution.”
How did they do it? Improvements included upgrading the main garage to high performance T-5 fluorescent lights, retrofitting the top deck with light emitting diode (LEDs) fixtures, and adding motion sensors in the storage areas.
In addition to cutting their energy use by 63%, UCF reduced their lighting bill for the parking garage by more than half due to improvements made during the competition. UCF is now spreading their successful strategies, as well as savings, to other buildings across the campus.
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