According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR use less energy than similar buildings and consequently release less carbon emissions. Recently, Siemens Industry, Inc.’s Building Technologies Division branch offices in Plymouth Mich. and Beltsville, Md. earned their first ENERGY STAR, while the Division’s San Diego office earned its ENERGY STAR label for the second year in a row.
To qualify for the ENERGY STAR, a building must score in the top 25 percent based on EPA's National Energy Performance Rating System. To determine the performance of a facility, EPA compares energy use among other, similar types of facilities on a scale of 1 to 100; buildings that achieve a score of 75 or higher are eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR label. The staffs at each of these offices demonstrated their commitment to energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions, and are leaders both in their communities and within Siemens. The Plymouth office earned a score of 77, the Beltsville office a score of 75 and the San Diego office a score of 81.
“Siemens is committed to improving the sustainability of all its operations,” said Andreas Schierenbeck, president and CEO of Building Technologies Division. The fact that more and more of Siemens branch operations are achieving the designation is proof that the BT Division is sticking to the goals of its own sustainability initiative, objectives clearly articulated in its most recent Sustainability Report. “Winning the ENERGY STAR label,” explained Schierenbeck, “demonstrates that, just as we are helping our customers across country reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprints, we are addressing energy conservation in our own facilities as well.”
Further validating the company’s commitment to sustainability was the fact that last year, through the concerted efforts of its employees, the Plymouth office also achieved its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) Certification—the first to achieve LEED recognition in the Siemens Building Technologies Division facility portfolio. Similarly, Siemens Scarborough, Maine office earned its ENERGY STAR label in 2010 as a result of its local employees’ personal efforts to reduce energy consumption and optimize building systems at the facility.
To earn the ENERGY STAR label, Siemens implements a variety of facility improvements and integrates other technical, operational and employee behavioral measures to increase the building’s efficiency and reduce energy consumption. For example, at all the offices, a high level of control over energy use is provided by Siemens APOGEE Building Automation System. Similarly, these offices control lighting using occupancy sensors and other means to tailor lighting to users needs. At the Beltsville office hot water is heated by a solar photovoltaic array providing about 40% of the building’s domestic hot water. The Beltsville, Plymouth and San Diego offices also added passive solar lighting tubes that deliver natural light from the roof into the interior throughout the building among other lighting efficiency and control upgrades.
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy that acknowledges the efforts companies make to reduce energy consumption, operate more cost effectively, and use fewer resources. The program acknowledges energy-efficient solutions and best practices; the recipients rank in the top 25 percent of efficiently operated buildings nationwide.