VCU news

Virginia Commonwealth University's Physical Plant Administration Building has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

"VCU is pleased to accept EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Ed Bennett, executive director of the Physical Plant. "Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.”

Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Since the building was built in 2008, the Office of Energy Management has worked to reduce its energy consumption, and to make it an example to the rest of the university. Improvements include converting from standard fluorescent lighting to LED lights, replacing individual printers with a central copier/printer and adding motion sensors to the office lighting.

EPA’s ENERGY STAR energy performance scale helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA’s 1-100 scale may be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification.

For more information about energy management at VCU, go to http://www.energy.vcu.edu.