NEEC earns award for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency
Seattle, WA, April 10th 2014 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) as a 2014 ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion winner for its outstanding contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through significant consumer education efforts promoting superior energy-efficient products. NEEC’s accomplishments will be recognized in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 2014.
NEEC, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2002, is being honored for its work in promoting ENERGY STAR programs and products that meet ENERGY STAR specifications for energy efficiency.
As a non-profit energy efficiency industry association, NEEC is an active supporter of ENERGY STAR products and programs. NEEC is the national sponsor of the Building Operator Certification (BOC®) program which trains and certifies commercial and institutional building’s facility staff in best practices for energy efficiency. This includes benchmarking building performance through ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager software tool and in specifying the purchase of ENERGY STAR products and equipment. Over 10,000 building operators have received BOC certification across the United States. The national BOC® program is administered through a network of licensed providers who train building technicians in BOC best practices in 35 states and D.C. with diverse climate zones in the East, Midwest, Southeast, and Pacific Coast. These providers contributed to the achievements recognized with this award. They include City University of New York, Gwinnett Technical College, IBOA- International Building Operators Association, Lakes Regions Community College, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, North Carolina Community College System, Northwest Energy Education Institute, Pellissippi State College, Pennsylvania College of Technology, South Carolina Technical College System, SPEER – South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource, Santa Fe Community College, and University of Hawaii.
NEEC also operates the Help Desk for the City of Seattle’s successful energy benchmark and disclosure policy which uses ENERGY STAR software. The City of Seattle has achieved the highest rate of compliance of any city in the U.S. with a similar disclosure requirement.
“NEEC is committed to our partnership with ENERGY STAR” said Stan Price, Executive Director, NEEC. “The ENERGY STAR label helps consumers identify energy efficient products – and those purchases help reduce their energy cost over the life of the product. The ENERGY STAR tools, such as Portfolio Manager are very helpful to commercial building owners and managers by helping them assess their building performance and track progress toward energy savings goals.”
Through 2013, with help from ENERGY STAR, American families and businesses have saved $297 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
“With the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council’s help, Americans are saving energy and money while protecting the environment and fighting climate change,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe. “Their innovative efforts to promote ENERGY STAR products are helping consumers make smarter choices about the products they buy.”
The 2014 Awards for Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion are given to a variety of organizations in recognition of their contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through superior energy efficiency. Award winners are selected from the 16,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.
About Northwest Energy Efficiency Council
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) is a non-profit business association of the energy efficiency industry. NEEC’s mission is to promote policies and programs that enhance market opportunities for energy efficiency. NEEC is a national provider of a range of services from Energy Benchmarking technical support to training and credentialing through the Building Operator Certification (BOC®) program.
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money, and help protect the environment for future generations. 16,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, and buildings. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).
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CONTACTS:
Melanie Danuser
Project Manager
(206)582-4258
melanie.danuser@putnamprice.com
Kristinn Leonhart
ENERGY STAR Brand Manager
(202)343-9062
Leonhart.Kristinn@epa.gov
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