NEWS

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Scott Leach, (303) 492-8308
Ghita Carroll, (303) 492-8308

March 30, 2005

Buff Energy Star Award 2004 Winners

The University of Colorado's Office of Energy Conservation and the Environmental Center are pleased to announce the winners of the 2004 Buff Energy Star Award. T he Buff Energy Star Award seeks to showcase, recognize and reward buildings and building occupants that help the environment and the University budget by reducing energy. During the 2003-2004 fiscal year Fiske Planetarium, Ketchum, Muenzinger, Regent Administration Building and the UMC reduced energy use by at least 5% per square foot compared to the prior fiscal year. The combined energy savings of these five buildings is roughly $72,000 and 600,000 kWh, which equates to a reduction in carbon dioxide of 900,000 lbs.

"The Buff Energy Star Award is a way for the University to publicly recognize the efforts these energy champions made towards energy conservation," said Scott Leach, member of the Buff Energy Star Award selection committee. "By reducing their energy use, these buildings have significantly reduced their environmental and economic footprint on the campus."

In order to qualify for the award, the winners were able to meet the following 4 program criteria:

• The building must reduce energy use by at least 5% per sq. ft.
• There are energy and water conservation posters and educational materials throughout the building.
• The building must complete an energy audit with the campus Energy Conservation Officer.
• The building must take action on the findings of the audit.

For the five building winners, there was a range of 6-15% savings in energy per square foot. Some specific actions that the building occupants took to reduce energy included enabling power management features on office equipment, turning equipment and lights off when not in use, taking advantage of daylighting, and helping to initiate larger energy conservation projects in their buildings.

The awardees will be publicly recognized during an award ceremony at each building during Energy Conservation Week (April 4-8). Those building occupants are encouraged to attend the award presentation. The award schedule is as follows:

Monday April 4th 12:00-1:00: UMC

Tuesday: April 5th 12:30-1:30 Muenzinger

Wednesday April 6th 12:00-1:00: Regent

Thursday April 7th 12:30-1:30: Ketchum

Friday April 8th 12:00-1:00: Fiske

For further information about the Buff Energy Star Award or how your building can save energy, participate in an energy audit and be nominated as a future Buff Energy Star Building Award winner, contact one of the selection committee members (Moe Tabrizi- Tabrizi@colorado.edu, Scott Leach- leachw@colorado.edu or Ghita Carroll- Ghita.Carroll@colorado.edu).

As always, please report energy and water waste to the campus conservation hotline (303-735-6202 or energyconservationhotline@fm.colorado.edu).