GreenSage E-zine 04/2009

BOMA Portland Issues Energy Challenge
City's most energy efficient office buildings to be identified

BOMA Portland announces the kickoff of the 2009 Office Energy Showdown, a search for office properties in the Portland Metro and SW Washington area that are leading the way in energy performance. In its third year, the competition challenges building owners and managers to assess their buildings' energy performance and recognize achievements made over the past year.

Given the current economic climate and increased focus on energy, this challenge comes at just the right time, said Susan Steward, Executive Director of BOMA Portland. The Showdown has helped elevate efficiency practices into the mainstream and I'm excited to see our participants take energy management to the next level this year.

Last year's winners were chosen from among 25 entries, representing over seven million square feet of Portland Metro and SW Washington office space. For the second year, Russell Development Company's 200 Market Building took first place and 16 additional buildings qualified for the ENERGY STAR® label denoting superior energy performance as compared with buildings nationwide.

Contest Details:

For the third year in a row, BOMA Portland, BetterBricks and The Energy Trust of Oregon will determine the winning properties in three categories:

The Power Broker, a jury awarded trophy, recognizing superior achievement in energy management, overcoming unique obstacles and emphasizing energy efficiency through no- and low-cost practices.

Greatest Improvement in Efficiency recognizing the greatest percentage gain in energy performance ratings from 2007 to 2008

Most Efficient Building recognizing the overall highest energy performance rating at the end of 2008

Contestants must be BOMA members and are required to submit an entry form by May 22, 2009. Participants must set up an account with the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and input monthly energy records from 2008. To qualify for the Greatest Improvement category, additional utility data from 2007 must be included. Final benchmarking rating must be completed August 28, 2009.

This data will be used to generate benchmarking scores through the ENERGY STAR rating system which calculates the miles per gallon of a building's energy consumption, accounting for weather, building location, and use and operating characteristics. A score of 75 or higher on the 100-point scale qualifies a property for the ENERGY STAR label. Winners will be announced at the November BOMA Portland membership meeting.

All participants reap a number of benefits, including:
Free energy engineering certification for properties that qualify for the ENERGY STAR label
Free advertising in Portland area publications recognizing contest participation
Unbiased ranking of their building's energy efficiency with a private report detailing overall market ranking
A free online review of benchmarking data
Most importantly, property owners can see how their building measures up and learn how to reduce operating costs

For details on The 2009 Office Energy Showdown, contact Jack Davis at 503.827.8416 x235. For registration and additional information about BOMA Portland, visit www.bomaportland.org. Partnering with BOMA Portland to sponsor the Office Energy Showdown are BetterBricks and the Energy Trust of Oregon

About BOMA Portland
Founded in 1915, BOMA Portland is a professional trade association dedicated to furthering the needs of members in the commercial real estate industry through education, legislation and networking. BOMA Portland helps its members increase earnings by improving efficiency in every aspect of their business. With over 450 members including building owners, managers, developers, leasing professionals, corporate facility managers and asset managers, BOMA Portland works to establish and sustain a progressive and healthy business climate in the Pacific Northwest.

About BetterBricks
BetterBricks is the commercial building initiative of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, which is supported by local electric utilities. Through the BetterBricks initiative, NEEA advocates for changes to energy-related business practices in Northwest buildings. In this era of heightened appreciation for the impact climate change is having on our environment and our economy, energy efficiency is a crucial component in addressing global warming. On www.betterbricks.com, find information, tools, training and resources to help buildings make a difference to the bottom line and the environment.

About Energy Trust of Oregon
Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing how Oregonians use energy by promoting energy efficiency and clean renewable energy for Oregon customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas. For more information, visit Energy Trust's Web site, www.energytrust.org, or call 1-866-368-7878.