Continuing to expand its reach, ENERGY STAR is now looking at sports stadiums and arenas as potential avenues for certification. However, before it is able to do so, it is soliciting information from stadium and arena owners and operators to take place in an anonymous survey about their energy and water usage.
The survey it has developed examines the energy and water usage of sports facilities in 2015, and the information will be used to help develop more efficient stadium and arena practices in the future.
The survey’s findings are expected to be released in 2017, and ENERGY STAR certification could be available by 2018. The certification would recognize stadiums and arenas that are leaders in environmental action and distinguish energy-efficient stadiums from others.
Results from this survey will prove to be useful in addressing areas where energy and water use can be impacted on a large scale. Data on efficiency will be particularly helpful in remedying a current blind spot in the ENERGY STAR program: extremely high traffic locations, as the organization would like to learn more about stadiums drawing crowds exceeding 100,000 people.
This survey is a product of work conducted by the Green Sports Alliance, EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Building Sciences.
To find out more about the survey, visit www.energystar.gov.