NEEA receives EPA sustained exellence award

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance a 2010 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award. NEEA will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C, on March 18.

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance has been an Energy Star partner since 1998, long before efficiency rose to the top of business agendas. An EPA program, Energy Star certifies household appliance as energy efficient and promotes a wide array of energy efficiency programs.

"We view our Energy Star partnership as crucial in improving the region's economy, and helping our citizens and businesses improve their efficiency, save money and help in the fight against climate change," said Claire Fulenwider, NEEA's executive director, in a statement.

NEEA's commercial building initiative, BetterBricks, promotes the improvement of energy efficiency within the Northwest's real estate and health care markets. For example, since 2008, real estate firms representing 29 million square feet of office space in Seattle and Portland have benchmarked their energy use in a contest that partners with local chapters of the Building Owners and Managers Association using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager.