DGS Competes in EPA’s 2015 Battle of the Buildings

A team of six buildings, owned and managed by the Maryland Department of General Services (DGS), is competing among thousands of participants nationwide in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2015 Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings. In the spirit of popular weight-loss competitions, the DGS Team will battle it out against more than 6,500 participants to see who can reduce their energy use the most.

DGS will kick off the competition on July 29, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at the Mary E. W. Risteau District Court/Multi-Service Center (DC/MSC) in Bel Air, Maryland.

“DGS is proud to be competing in the Battle of the Buildings for a second year,” said DGS Secretary Gail Bassette. “Our team is committed to reducing energy usage by optimizing operations and maintenance, making energy-related improvements to our buildings, and encouraging tenants to reduce utility costs by conserving energy.”

DGS is taking the following steps to reduce energy use in the six competing DC/MSCs:

Ellicott City DC/MSC will be installing motion sensors in the restrooms and break rooms; installing LED lights in stairwells and ensuring parking lot lights are off when not in use at night. HVAC equipment schedules will be adjusted to ensure better energy efficiency.

Louis L. Goldstein DC/MSC (Prince Frederick) recently completed replacing 1,100 lights with more energy efficient lights, including LEDs, and installed occupancy sensors in restrooms. Upcoming plans include installation of two energy-efficient boilers and an energy-efficient hot water heater.

Mary Risteau DC/MSC (Bel Air) recently completed installing interior and exterior LED lights and plans to perform HVAC schedule adjustments while keeping tenants comfortable.

John R. Hargreaves DC/MSC (Denton) and Carter M. Hickman DC/MSC (Centreville) plan to adjust temperature settings, adjust HVAC in unoccupied spaces, adjust schedules for exterior lights, and replace exterior lights with LED fixtures.

Paul Martin DC/MSC (Salisbury) plans to identify and address areas throughout the facility that are over-cooling, adjust schedules for exterior lights, remove unnecessary lights, and replace emergency lights with LEDs.

Tenants in all six buildings are encouraged to close windows and doors, unplug fully charged electronics, and turn off lights when not in use.

Battle of the Buildings competitors will measure and monitor their monthly energy consumption using Portfolio Manager, EPA’s Energy Star online tracking tool, which DGS uses in tandem with the State’s Utility Bill Database.

Next April, the EPA will recognize the overall Top Team and Top Building, determined by the percentage-based reduction in energy or water use achieved from 2014 to 2015. Competitors who achieve at least a 20 percent reduction will also be recognized.   According to the EPA, energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and energy use at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. On average, 30 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. To watch the battle unfold, visit www.energystar.gov/BattleOfTheBuildings

Learn more about the DGS Office of Energy Performance and Conservation.