Aug 20 2009

Five Charlottesville City School Buildings Earn ENERGY STAR

(Courtesy of ChamberBits, Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce)

Five Charlottesville City elementary school buildings have earned the ENERGY STAR® for Superior Energy Efficiency. These are the first local school buildings to earn the designation. Only ten other buildings in the Charlottesville area have received the ENERGY STAR® since 2003.

ENERGY STAR® schools and scores are: Johnson Elementary (94); Clark Elementary (82); Venable Elementary (83); Burnley-Moran Elementary (78); and Jackson-Via Elementary (77). Greenbrier Elementary and Charlottesville High School applications are being processed.

City schools are maintained by the Facilities Maintenance Division of the Charlottesville Department of Public Works. Staff members from both organizations-administrators and building principals to custodians and maintenance workers-have collaborated for years to identify ways to maximize energy performance at all schools. Only 33 other schools in three other school divisions are ENERGY STAR schools.

Energy conservation efforts initiated at Charlottesville’s schools have included utility tracking and monthly analysis of all school facilities; upgrading to energy-saving lighting fixtures and low wattage lighting; installing occupancy sensors; re- commissioning and upgrading less energy efficient HVAC system equipment; utilization of building automation for lighting and HVAC systems (including after-hours set-back operations on all building temperature controls); and installation of low-flow and automatic flush valves.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awards the ENERGY STAR, the national symbol for superior energy efficiency and environmental protection, to signify that a building’s energy performance rates in the top 25 percent of facilities nationwide. Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR use an average of 40 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

EPA’s national energy performance rating system provides a 1-100 scale that helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a rating of 75 or higher is eligible for the ENERGY STAR. The scoring system not only accounts for energy use and size, but also the building’s usage, the number of people in it, type of equipment, and hours of operation.

Posted by Paige at 2:39 PM 0 comments
Aug 10 2009

Happy Birthday!

Today marks the Second Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Eco Shop! 

We’re feeling grateful to our loyal customers for supporting us these past two years. 

In celebration of turning TWO, print out this Blog Post and receive:

 $5 off any purchase of $25 or more

Coupon good throughout our Birthday Week

(Valid Monday, August10th through Saturday, August 15th)

Posted by Paige at 9:06 AM 1 comment