Three schools earn ENERGY STAR certification
PHS, South and Jackson outperform similar U.S. buildings on measures of energy efficiency
PARKERSBURG – Officials announced this week three Wood County schools have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR® certification for superior energy performance.
Officials with ENERGY STAR announced Parkersburg and Parkersburg South high schools and Jackson Middle School have received the ENERGY STAR designation for 2021, outperforming similar U.S. buildings on measures of energy efficiency.
“Wood County Schools is proud of the improvements made in our facilities and thrilled to have three of our schools nationally recognized for energy efficiency,” said Wood County Schools Superintendent Will Hosaflook. “Wood County Schools teamed with CMTA Energy Solutions beginning in 2020 to evaluate and improve energy performance in all of our schools. By March 2021, the energy plan had already resulted in more than half a million dollars in savings for Wood County Schools. The ENERGY STAR designations announced this week show those improvements are continuing and have a direct impact on our energy usage and cost.”
With the assistance of CMTA in the energy plan implementation process, Parkersburg High School earned for 2021 an Energy Star rating of 81, South a rating of 78 and Jackson Middle a rating of 82. Those scores indicate each building is more energy efficient than that percentage of similar properties nationwide.
“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.”
ENERGY STAR certified buildings and plants are verified to perform in the top 25 percent of buildings nationwide, based on weather-normalized source energy use that takes into account occupancy, hours of operation, and other key metrics. ENERGY STAR is the only energy efficiency certification in the United States that is based on actual, verified energy performance.
On average, ENERGY STAR certified buildings and plants use 35 percent less energy, cause 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and are less expensive to operate than their peers—all without sacrifices in performance or comfort.
To date, tens of thousands of buildings and plants across all fifty states have earned the ENERGY STAR. For more information about ENERGY STAR for Buildings and Plants, visit www.energystar.gov/buildings