The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) as a 2012 ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion winner for its outstanding contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by sponsoring significant consumer education efforts promoting energy-efficient products. NEEC’s accomplishments were recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 15, 2012, which marks the 20th anniversary of ENERGY STAR.
NEEC, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2002, was honored for their work in promoting products and programs that meet ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. NEEC provides energy efficiency training to commercial building technicians through its national Building Operator Certification (BOC®) program. Since 2005, the BOC program has integrated the ENERGY STAR portfolio manager benchmarking tool into its training curriculum to advance use of the tool among its 8,000 credentialed operators. In 2011, BOC-certified operators using Portfolio Manager in conjunction with operational best practices saved an estimated $45 million in energy costs for their companies.
Over the past 20 years, American families and businesses have saved nearly $230 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those from more than 350 million vehicles with help from ENERGY STAR.
"NEEC’s partnership with ENERGY STAR is an important way for us to serve our customers, showing them how they can use energy-efficient ENERGY STAR products and programs to save money and protect the environment," said Stan Price, NEEC’s Executive Director. "We are committed to continuing this important partnership."
The 2012 Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award is given to a variety of organizations in recognition of their efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, resulting in significant cost savings. Award winners are selected from about 20,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.
"As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ENERGY STAR program, EPA is proud to recognize NEEC with the 2012 ENERGY STAR Award for Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "NEEC and all our ENERGY STAR award winners truly demonstrate how the leadership and commitment from EPA’s partners has made a difference in the lives of Americans since 1992, saving them billions of dollars in energy costs and improving the health of our families, the planet and our future."