Kitsap joins U.S. DOE's better building challenge
County commits to reduce energy use 30 percent by 2020

(Port Orchard, WA) – Kitsap County is pleased to announce its partnership in the Better Buildings Challenge, a Department of Energy (DOE) national leadership program calling on corporate chief executives, university presidents, state, local and school district leaders to reduce their portfolio-wide energy use by 20 percent by 2020 and showcase the solutions they use and the results they achieve.

Kitsap County was the first county in Washington State to join the Better Buildings Challenge and pledged to reduce energy use in over 860,000 square feet of its public facilities by 30 percent as well as work with organizations throughout the County to achieve similar savings. The Board of County Commissioners set a goal of 30 percent energy reduction in county operations and facilities by 2020 in 2010 and will continue to work towards that goal above and beyond the minimum Challenge requirements.

“Kitsap County is pleased to join the Better Buildings Challenge, helping lead the nation to greater energy efficiency, economic growth and a cleaner environment,” said Robert Gelder, Chair of the Board of County Commissioners.  “Our commitment builds upon existing efforts undertaken by the County to increase efficiency and save taxpayer dollars as outlined in our 2011 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan.”

As a Better Buildings Challenge Partner, Kitsap County has pledged to make aggressive efforts to increase energy efficiency by implementing portfolio-wide energy management programs and working with building owners in their community. The County is working to develop a showcase energy retrofit project and will also share facility-level energy use data as well as successful strategies and approaches with DOE, other Partners, and the public. The data and solution transparency they provide will serve as an example to other communities and help transform the market toward increased energy efficiency.

“We will share our successful strategies with other local governments to encourage greater efficiency and similar savings,” said Commissioner Charlotte Garrido.  “Our efforts will continue to focus on low- and no-cost improvements to operations and maintenance procedures and employee behavior change to most cost-effectively drive sustained energy use reductions.”

Local governments can play a key role in facilitating energy efficiency across communities through implementing innovative policies, building codes, and financing strategies, as well as developing new models of public-private partnerships.  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, commercial buildings and industrial plants in the U.S account for 50 percent of the nation’s primary energy use, cost about $400 billion to operate, and produce 40 percent of the country’s CO₂ emissions. By taking steps to become more energy-efficient, DOE estimates that many buildings can reduce energy use by 20 percent.

"Through President Obama’s Better Buildings Challenge, our partners are committing to real change, breaking through barriers, and sharing their successes,” said Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. “We applaud these Partners for joining in this leadership initiative and we look forward to working with them as they make their communities more energy efficient, saving money for taxpayers while protecting our air and water.”

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About Kitsap County
Kitsap County adopted an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan in 2011 and has retrofitted more than 40 buildings representing over 298,000 square feet since January 2010.  Kitsap County received $2.229 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Conservation Block (EECBG) Program to complete energy efficient retrofits on County buildings and offer community energy conservation programs.  For more information on Kitsap County’s energy efficiency and conservation initiatives, please visit www.kitsapgreen.org.

About the Better Buildings Challenge
The Better Buildings Challenge is a national leadership initiative that calls on chief executive officers, university presidents, and state and local leaders to significantly reduce their portfolio wide energy use and share the results of their energy reduction strategies. Launched by President Obama in December of 2011, the goal of the Better Buildings Challenge is to make American commercial and industrial buildings at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020.  More than 100 organizations, representing almost 2 billion square feet of commercial and industrial buildings and almost $2 billion in energy efficiency financing, currently partner with the U.S. Department of Energy in the Better Buildings Challenge. For more information please visit BetterBuildings.ee.gov/Challenge.