Inside This Edition What's New » SRC To Appear in ENERGY STAR® PSA » LEED®-EB Projects Kick Off in Florida » Horton Hears a Who, Saves Energy with ENERGY STAR » ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Rating Now Available for Retail and Wastewater Facilities » ENERGY STAR Challenge Upcoming Events » Web Training: Building Commissioning Case Studies » SRC in Your Back Yard

SRC TO APPEAR IN ENERGY STAR® PSA

SRC's partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) ENERGY STAR program will be broadcast loud and clear as ENERGY STAR's newest public service announcement (PSA) has been co-branded with the SRC logo.

The ENERGY STAR’s PSA campaign, "Empowered," features music by recording artist Moby and the voice of actress Ashley Judd. The PSA features individuals who are using ENERGY STAR’s energy-efficient products and practices to save energy, save money, and fight global warming, noting, "Together, we can all make a difference."

You can view the PSA at www.southeastrebuld.org. SRC states are distributing the PSA to local broadcast outlets. Watch for the PSA on a station in your area this spring!

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LEED®-EB PROJECTS KICK OFF IN FLORIDA

Two SRC member organizations have committed to greening their existing buildings in Florida. The University of Central Florida (UCF) and the Florida Department of Management Services (FDMS) recently completed charrettes, or planning meetings, to kick off project work to certify buildings under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) Green Building Rating System™.

The charrettes leveraged SRC;s expertise in LEED certification and assisted the staffs of UCF and FDMS with the initial stages of the certification process. The charrettes helped to inform key stakeholders about the LEED certification process, as well as project team member roles and responsibilities involved in the process. SRC also provided the project teams with guidance on reviewing and critiquing plans and policies, and recommendations on which LEED credits to pursue based on building assessment and performance analysis.

Both UCF’s and FDMS’ projects are in the early stages of LEED-EB certification, but the charrettes outlined the path to successful certification for each organization. Many key staff members attended each charrette, and SRC provided them with guidance for policies, plans, and procedures to help them meet LEED credit requirements.

To learn more about the LEED-EB Charrettes held in Florida, download the case study (PDF).

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HORTON HEARS A WHO, SAVES ENERGY WITH ENERGY STAR

EPA and 20th Century Fox are working together to help Whos of all ages save energy in connection with their new movie, Dr. Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who.” Using the lyrical rhymes and colorful illustrations that are the hallmarks of Dr. Seuss, Horton teaches all Americans, especially kids, about the benefits of energy efficiency and ENERGY STAR. EPA is now offering two new brochures to remind us that we can all do our part to fight global warming and protect the earth by saving energy. Consider incorporating these two new educational pieces in your class or at your next event:

• Horton Activity Book: You can be an ENERGY STAR. This activity book has games, puzzles, and word searches to help children learn about what they can do to save energy and fight global warming.
• Horton Tip Sheet: Now Hear This: What you can do in your home to fight global warming. This pamphlet highlights six steps to take at home to help protect the environment.

Horton will make his debut on the big screen with 20th Century Fox on March 14, so request copies of his activity book and tip sheet today on the ENERGY STAR Web site while supplies last. All materials are available free of charge.

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ENERGY STAR PORTFOLIO MANAGER RATING NOW AVAILABLE FOR RETAIL AND WASTEWATER FACILITIES

EPA’s ENERGY STAR program has incorporated several important updates and improvements to its building energy performance tool, Portfolio Manager. An ENERGY STAR rating is now available for spaces used to conduct the retail sale of consumer products and facilities designed to treat municipal wastewater.

Retail segments eligible to receive a rating by benchmarking the energy use in their facilities include: department stores, discount stores, supercenters, warehouse clubs, drug stores, dollar stores, home centers/hardware stores, and apparel/hard line specialty (i.e. books, clothing, office products, toys, home goods) stores. Electronics stores are not eligible to receive a rating, but can still use Portfolio Manager to track building energy consumption. The wastewater treatment plant rating is appropriate for primary, secondary, and advanced treatment facilities with or without nutrient removal. The rating for this space type does not apply to water treatment and distribution facilities.

Portfolio Manager has also been updated to include more robust weather data, an improved weather normalization procedure, and new source energy conversion factors. The new source conversion factors and weather normalization adjustments will be applied uniformly to all buildings in Portfolio Manager.

If you have any questions about these enhancements, you may contact buildings@energystar.gov. Access Portfolio Manager as well as the Guidelines for Energy Management.

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ENERGY STAR CHALLENGE

It's not too late to take the ENERGY STAR Challenge, a national call-to-action that encourages organizations to reduce energy use by 10 percent or more. Whether you’re associated with a small school or a large corporation, a local government or a national association, a community hospital or a hotel group, a manufacturing plant or a retailer—you can be part of the ENERGY STAR Challenge to improve the energy efficiency of America's buildings. EPA estimates that if the energy efficiency of commercial and industrial buildings in the U.S. improved 10 percent, Americans would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to those from about 30 million vehicles while saving about $20 billion.

The ENERGY STAR Challenge has been endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Counties, and over 450 businesses and organizations nationwide have already signed up.

Learn more about the ENERGY STAR Challenge. Visit the Web site to sign up to take the Challenge and to view the free tools and resources available for Challenge participants. Use the ENERGY STAR Toolkit to get started on the path toward energy efficiency at work and home; learn more about energy efficiency for specific building types and how to bring the Challenge to your community; and access ENERGY STAR brochures, public service announcements, press releases, posters, event ideas, and templates to help spread the word about saving energy.

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SRC IN YOUR BACK YARD

The SRC team is hitting the road this spring, and might be coming to a city near you. Please contact us at info@southeastrebuild.org if you would like to meet with us while we are in your area. The team’s travels will include:

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Spread the word! The SRC encourages you to forward this first newsletter to your friends and colleagues to invite them to join our energy efficiency efforts. Click the Send to a Friend button below!