The Environmental Protection Agency launched its first National Building Competition in April 2010. Fourteen buildings across the country competed to see who could reduce their energy use the most in a year. The winner was Morrison Residence Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a reduction in energy use of 35.7 percent. Among a number of strategies, the residence hall retrofitted their lighting, replacing 54-watt CFLs with 13-watt CFLs.
In this year’s “Battle of the Buildings, ” 245 buildings across the nation are competing for the energy-saving challenge. So far, the 245 buildings have already saved a cumulative $3.7 million in energy costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to what 2,300 homes would generate in a year.
It’s at the midway point (the winners will be announced November 2), and the EPA has announced the top contenders in each building category and their percentage of energy reduction to date. Another residence hall from UNC-Chapel Hill is in the mix, but there are quite a few buildings ahead of them!
| Building Category | Building Name | Location | Energy Reduction |
| Bank | USE Credit Union | San Diego, Calif. | 20% |
| Courthouse | Hammond U.S. Courthouse | Hammond, Ind. | 14% |
| Dorm | Kenan Residence Hall at UNC | Chapel Hill, NC | 3% |
| Hospital | St Mark’s Medical Center | La Grange, Texas | 10% |
| Hotel | The Colonnade Hotel | Boston, Mass. | 2% |
| House of Worship | First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis | Minneapolis, Minn. | 14% |
| K-12 school | Jackson Creek Middle School | Bloomington, Ind. | 26% |
| Medical Office | North Suburban Medical Office Building | Thornton, Colo. | 18% |
| Office | Scientific Instruments | West Palm Beach, Fla. | 30% |
| Other | University of Central Florida Garage C | Orlando, Fla. | 31% |
| Retail Store | Office Depot | Plano, Texas | 17% |
| Warehouse | Norandex | Rochester, N.Y. | 8% |
For more information, check out Stories Behind the Battle on the ENERGY STAR website – and check out John Corbett’s YouTube clip cheering them on!