County building earns ENERGY STAR rating

The Oakland County Executive Office Building (EOB) has earned the ENERGY STAR rating from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It identifies the building, located at 2100 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford, as among the most energy efficient in the nation. "A week ago, I issued the OakGreen Challenge, asking all Oakland County businesses, governments and residents to reduce energy consumption by 10% before the end of 2012," said Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. "We are leading that challenge by example. The EOB's ENERGY STAR rating is another way we are raising the bar." Oakland County Facilities Management Department began taking steps to reduce Oakland County's energy consumption more than five years ago through simple adjustments such as reducing lighting in non-essential areas; changing thermostats a few degrees; and using moisture sensors to prevent sprinklers from turning on when the ground has enough water and renovating the EOB with more state-of-the-art energy efficient systems. Since 2005, these efforts have reduced the county's energy consumption on the government campus 10%, saving Oakland County taxpayers $4 million in reduced utility bills. "At the OakGreen Challenge kick-off, Brooks mentioned that Facilities Management has a goal of reducing our energy consumption another 15% by 2015," said Holdsworth. "Oakland County is pleased to accept the EPA's ENERGY STAR label as recognition of our continuing energy efficiency efforts." Meanwhile, Oakland County will open its first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building in 2011 as it begins to construct Michigan's first green airport terminal. The new terminal at Oakland County International Airport in Waterford will feature sustainable options such as wind power generating technology, geothermal and landscaping that uses rain water irrigation. It will also be built with a number of recycled materials. The new terminal will be smaller than the former building but the space will be used more efficiently. It will include airport offices, a U.S. Customs Service office and a high-tech telecommuting meeting room to reduce travel time and costs. Published: Tue, Jun 1, 2010

––––––––––––––––––––
 Subscribe to the Legal News!
 https://test.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available