Purchasing For Energy Efficiency
Incorporate procurement language into bids to ensure that vendors provide products that meet energy efficiency standards. ENERGY STAR® is a voluntary partnership between U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy. The program promotes energy efficient products through product labeling and consumer education. Products that carry the ENERGY STAR label use less energy and reduce both energy costs and environmental impacts. Product categories that should be considered include: Computers, Monitors, Copiers, Printers, Fax machines, Scanners, Ballasts, Fluorescent lighting, HID (high-intensity discharge) lighting, Exit signs, Boilers, Chillers, Furnaces, Heat pumps, Air conditioners, Electric motors, Transformers, and Roofing.
RATIONALE
Energy efficiency is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to reduce the environmental impact of products. Energy efficient products allow cities to lower operational costs and reduce overall demand on utilities, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions and consumption of natural resources.
EFFORT REQUIRED
Energy Star products are readily available in the market and easily identifiable, if a city wants to use this standard it can be quite simple. For products that do not yet have Energy Star standards, or if a city wants to go beyond the standard, it can be more difficult to verify performance and quality.
BENEFIT
- Lower energy costs
- Reduced emissions from power generation
RISKS
- Staff not using products properly, eliminating energy savings
ACTION AGENT(S)
- Environmental Programs Division
- Purchasing Division
- Public Works Division
- Engineering Division
- Fleet Maintenance Division
- City Council
COST
Energy efficient products should save money over their entire life-span and not just in their purchasing cost. Consequently, it is best to use full-cost, or life-cycle, accounting methods to determine true cost impacts.
A measure of a building's or product's energy performance compared with that of similar buildings or products, as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Energy's ENERGY STARŪ Portfolio Manager. Energy efficiency is the process of using less energy to produce the same or increased functions. Often used mistakenly as a synonym for ENERGY CONSERVATION. The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
