Lake Central High School Earns EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Certification for Superior Energy Efficiency

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Lake Central High School, has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’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.

“Lake Central is pleased to accept EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said principal Larry Veracco. “Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.”

Facilities that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical facilities and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Lake Central High School improved its energy performance by managing energy strategically across the entire school and by making cost-effective improvements to its building. The school has prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the electricity use from 52.3 households for one year.

“Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s buildings is critical to protecting our environment, “ said Jean Lupinacci, Chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial & Industrial Branch. “From the boiler room to the board room, organizations are leading the way by making their buildings more efficient and earning EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification.”

To earn the ENERGY STAR, Lake Central High School took the following actions:

1. Provided remote monitoring of the facility’s energy management systems and advised on any modifications that would improve efficiency or operation
2. Conducted on-site meetings at the school to determine any modifications that may need to be made to the systems
3. Conducted walk-throughs to assess the condition and operation of the mechanical systems and make recommendations on modifications to the sequence of operations in order to increase the energy efficiency of the building
4. Analyze the electric and gas usage each month, benchmark that usage against similar facilities, and summarize the findings.
5. Any modifications to improve efficiency or operation have been at no cost to the school corporation

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. Commercial buildings that can earn the ENERGY STAR include offices, bank branches, data centers, financial centers, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, hotels, K-12 schools, medical offices, supermarkets, dormitories, houses of worship, and warehouses.

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 65 different kinds of products, 1.4 million new homes, and 20,000 commercial buildings and industrial plants that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Over the past twenty years, American families and businesses have saved more than $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions with help from ENERGY STAR.

For more information about ENERGY STAR Certification for Commercial Buildings: www.energystar.gov/labeledbuildings

To check out a photo gallery of our Lake Central High School project, click here