Ada County first to receive ENERGY STAR© courthouse campaign label
The Ada County (Idaho) Courthouse/Administration Building has received the first ENERGY STAR designation plaque through the NACo ENERGY STAR¨ Courthouse Campaign. An unveiling ceremony took place Oct. 12 in the lobby of the Ada County Courthouse.
Photo courtesy of Ada County, Idaho.
Energy efficiency in Ada County has earned the courthouse a place in the nation’s top 25 percent of energy efficient government buildings.
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The Ada County Courthouse is now ranked in the top 25 percent of government buildings in the United States: It uses about 40 percent less energy and costs about 40 percent less to heat, cool and light than the average building. Therefore, it saves approximately $175,000 in energy costs per year - $14,500 a month.
"Ada County government is setting the standard statewide for its commitment to care for the environment and for saving energy, water and other resources," said County Commissioner Rick Yzaguirre. "Conservation is just good business. It saves taxpayer dollars as well as energy and resources."
The facility was built with energy efficiency in mind by including such features as high efficiency windows, T-8 lights and a geothermal heating system that uses a naturally renewable resource.
A commissioning plan implemented early in the design process identified more than 350 items to improve building performance and occupants’ comfort.
"Oftentimes, energy savings work involves tweaks and retrofits of a building’s core systems - boilers and furnaces, ventilation systems, lights, controls, windows, insulation, not the stuff of everyday discussion about the buildings in our communities," said EDA Idaho Operations Director Jim Wernz at the ceremony. "However, your energy savings are a direct result of your attention to these important details."
EPA introduced the ENERGY STAR label in 1992 to recognize energy-efficient computers. Since then, the program has grown to include energy-efficient products in 35 categories. Efficient buildings became eligible in 1999 when EPA unveiled a new standardized approach for measuring the energy performance of an entire building.
NACo’s campaign facilitates county involvement in the ENERGY STAR program. The campaign encourages counties to ensure that county-owned buildings are energy efficient, in turn saving the county - and taxpayers - money.
"Ada County’s courthouse not only stands as a symbol of environmental leadership to employees, and members of the community, but also to counties across the United States," said NACo Executive Director Larry E. Naake. "Ada County has established itself as a leader in energy efficiency and has become a model for counties around the country that are hungry for ways to save money and become more energy efficient."
The ENERGY STAR distinction is shared by four other buildings in Idaho and 45 in Alaska, Oregon and Washington. Nationally, more than 1,700 buildings carry the ENERGY STAR label.
The NACo Campaign has 22 member counties working towards earning their own ENERGY STAR.
(If you would like more information about the campaign and how your county can join please call Kristen Bertram at (202) 942-4292 or e-mail at kbertram@naco.org.)
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