WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that the General Services Administration’s (GSA’s) United States Court House in Wichita, Kan., is the winner of the 2013 Better Buildings Federal Award. The Better Buildings Federal Award challenges agencies to achieve the greatest reduction in annual energy intensity, or energy consumed per gross square foot. The court house cut energy intensity by 20 percent and saved over $40,000 in utility costs in the 12 month competition period.

Building on past energy efficiency improvements funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, GSA Region 6 implemented energy efficiency upgrades, including a cost-effective re-tuning of building control systems and equipment, to boost energy efficiency in the 80-year-old court house. GSA also provided training and technical support to the building staff on how best to manage and sustain the energy efficiency improvements and also encouraged court house tenants to reduce energy waste within their work areas. Despite the summer’s heat waves and the winter’s cold snaps, GSA cut energy use by 20 percent in the building while maintaining a satisfaction rate among tenants of more than 90 percent, according to a GSA Tenant Satisfaction Survey.

Finalists from the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, and the Departments of State and Energy also competed to reduce their buildings’ energy intensity. When selecting finalists, DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) considered energy efficiency measures deployed in each facility; best practices in energy management; and building operations undertaken by facility personnel, as well as organizational programs and tools to encourage broad sustainability efforts.