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Burton Energy Group has been grateful to partner with ENERGY STAR over the years to help promote ENERGY STAR® certifications for buildings. Burton is honored to have been awarded our 10th ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award earlier in 2022, with the last eight being for Sustained Excellence. Over these years, we have come to have a deeper appreciation for the impact that ENERGY STAR has on buildings and our environment, and we are excited to be a part of this journey as we encourage building owners and operators to benchmark their buildings and apply for ENERGY STAR certification for their top performing buildings.

This is an opportune time to promote benchmarking since 2022 marks the 30th Anniversary of the ENERGY STAR program. That is a major milestone that is worth celebrating! To celebrate, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently offering special recognition to any organization that achieves ENERGY STAR certification for five or more buildings. If you have never thought about achieving ENERGY STAR recognition before, or even if you are an experienced “bench marker” that makes this a core part of your energy and sustainability efforts, now is a great time to join with others throughout the nation to certify as many buildings as possible.

The name of this initiative, Certification Nation, reflects the impact of ENERGY STAR buildings throughout the entire country. Companies that meet any of the levels below for their buildings will receive special recognition from the EPA and clicking on the logo below will take you to the Certification Nation webpage to get additional details.

  • Member – Certify 5 or more buildings
  • Premier Member – Certify 15 or more buildings
  • Executive Member – Certify 50 or more buildings
  • Elite Member – Certify 150 or more buildings

So, why should buildings be ENERGY STAR certified? While there are many great reasons, I can think of a few that resonate most with me.

  1. Benchmarking buildings in the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool helps owners and operators track their usage and progress towards energy reduction goals and to see how they compare to other comparable buildings. Buildings that ultimately achieve certification use less energy, on average, than similar buildings throughout the country.
  2. ENERGY STAR buildings not only use less energy, but also less greenhouse gas emissions, showing a dedication to improving the environment as well.
  3. ENERGY STAR buildings cost less to operate, improving the bottom line.
  4. ENERGY STAR is a positive message to promote within your organization to customers and shareholders and can help generate additional financial benefits

So, with all the benefits that come from ENERGY STAR certification, why continue to wait? The deadline for applying for certification this year is December 9, 2022. Burton has professional engineers and a team of energy professionals that can help provide the necessary verification site visits and submit the applications. Please let us know if you would like more information about how to certify your buildings.

So, congratulations to ENERGY STAR for 30 years of leading the way to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to add as many organizations as possible to the Certification Nation membership. After all, membership has its privileges, and in this case, they extend not only to the certified buildings but also to the overall climate impact, which helps make a difference in the world today and provides for a more sustainable future for all.