UH Manoa commits to reducing campus energy use

Chancellor, EPA agree on expansion of the ENERGY STAR program

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
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Posted: May 15, 2006

UH Manoa Chancellor Denise Konan today signed a letter of agreement with
the National Energy Star Program — the US Environmental Protection
Agency program aimed at reducing energy consumption by promoting cost
effective, energy efficient products and design standards.

"Now that we are formalizing this partnership with EPA," Konan said, "we will have access to technical expertise and national networking opportunities to support our efforts to achieve energy savings on the Manoa campus.

"The program has already been implemented in the student residence halls, and we expect significant, measurable results very quickly," she added. "We are committed to a sustainable campus environment, and this agreement with EPA is a big step in that direction."

Ninety percent of the state‘s energy is produced by burning imported fossil fuels, and the University of Hawaiʻi is one of the state‘s largest consumers of electricity. As fuel costs continue to escalate and electricity becomes increasingly expensive, the Energy Star commitment to energy management has the potential to save the university millions of dollars a year on its energy bills, demonstrate environmental stewardship, and teach the right values to students.

The Energy Star partnership is seen as critical to the success of the landmark energy conservation legislation recently passed by the state legislature and approved last week by Governor Lingle.

At UH Manoa, Energy Star participation is coordinated by the Center for Smart Building and Community Design at the UH Sea Grant College Program.


For more information, visit: http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/seagrant/csbcd.html