Home > Buildings & Plants > National Building Competition > Meet Past Winners

Meet Past Winners

Did you know that, on average, 30 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted? In 2010, EPA launched the ENERGY STAR National Building Competition to show how diverse commercial buildings from across the nation could save energy, save money, and protect the environment by shedding their excess energy waste. The results speak for themselves!

2012 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition Recap

In 2012, EPA hosted its third season of the ENERGY STAR National Building Competition to see which U.S building could cut its energy use the most. More than 3,000 buildings from all 50 states, two U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia battled the scale and each other. Collectively, they saved more than 3 billion kBtu of energy and more than $50 million on utility bills, and prevented GHG emissions equivalent to the electricity used by more than 43,000 homes in a year. See all 2012 results!

The winner of the competition was Demarest Elementary School of Bloomfield Public School District in Bloomfield, NJ. Demarest Elementary School reduced its energy consumption by more than 52%, saved more than $75,000 in energy costs, and avoided more than 260 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more about the winners and their energy-saving advice by downloading the 2012 wrap-up report (5MB).

2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition Recap

In 2011, EPA hosted its second “Biggest Loser”-style competition among commercial buildings. Teams from 245 buildings across the country competed in a head-to-head battle to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

As the battle drew to a close, the competitors had saved a combined total of more than 240 million kBtus of energy and $5.2 million on annual utility bills. They prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the electricity used by more than 3,600 homes a year. And 37% of eligible competitors had earned the ENERGY STAR during the competition, EPA’s symbol of superior energy performance.

The winner was University of Central Florida’s Parking Garage C, which reduced energy use by more than 60% and saved almost $35,000. Their efforts shine a light on the savings potential for parking garages everywhere!

The graph depicts the energy use of the top 10 overall finishers over the course of the competition. To find out who they were and see results of all 245 competitors, download the 2011 wrap-up report (5.96MB).

2010 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition Recap

In 2010, EPA hosted the first-ever national competition among commercial buildings to save energy and fight climate change. More than 200 buildings applied to compete and only 14 were chosen. Contest participants worked off the waste through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program.

After just 12 months, the results demonstrate how every organization can improve efficiency when everyone gets on-board. In one year, competitors saved 44 million kBtu, prevented nearly 5,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and saved $950,000. Winner Morrison Residence Hall at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill reduced energy use by more than 35 percent, saving more than $250,000 and preventing more than 730 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Download the 2010 wrap-up report (6.57MB) to read about competitors’ winning strategies and final results.