ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International has launched a multi-year campaign to increase energy efficiency at 9 billion square feet of commercial properties. The association started the energy efficiency program at its annual conference in Anaheim, Calif., with the first of six training sessions on operational excellence.

The campaign, developed in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under its Energy Star Challenge, is designed to educate association members about the financial and environmental benefits of improving energy efficiency, train commercial building operators and owners on strategic energy management, and recognize members who demonstrate energy savings of 10, 20, 30 percent or more. Because energy is the single largest operating cost in an office building, representing 30 percent of a typical building's costs, the value of these savings is substantial for the bottom line, and also the environment, says the EPA.

The campaign was developed by the Building Owners and Managers Association Foundation and a task force of industry leaders, including USAA Realty, Cushman & Wakefield, Lurie Company, Trammell Crow, Jones Lang LaSalle, Transwestern Commercial Services, and others in coordination with the EPA.

EPA launched the Energy Star Challenge in March 2005 to encourage businesses and institutions across the country to take steps to identify the many buildings where financially attractive improvements can reduce energy use by 10 percent or more, and to make the improvements now through proven methods such as low-cost building tuneups, lighting upgrades, and replacement of old equipment. EPA estimates that if each building owner took on this challenge, by 2015 Americans would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by amounts equivalent to the emissions from 15 million vehicles, while saving about $10 billion.

For more information on BOMA, visit www.boma.org. For more information about the Energy Star Challenge, visit www.energystar.gov/challenge.

Publication date: 07/11/2005