Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) proudly announces that its Berlin headquarters has earned the coveted ENERGY STAR certification from the 2014 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.
Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
“Our Berlin campus achieved this certification through the diligent efforts of our facilities department, along with the technical expertise and guidance of Efficiency Vermont, a nonprofit that provides technical assistance, rebates and other financial incentives to help Vermont households and businesses reduce their energy costs,” said Chris Gannon, vice president, general counsel and CAO at BCBSVT, who oversees facilities there. “Since 2008, we have lowered the cost of our electricity consumption by 40 percent. We accomplished this through investments in more energy-efficient lighting, HVAC systems and upgrades to our IT infrastructure.”
“Along with the reductions in our energy consumption and costs, there are co-benefits as well,” said Stuart Lawson, facilities manager at BCBSVT. “In 2009, we replaced 18-year-old heat pumps, thus improving the comfort and temperature control across most spaces in our original building,” he notes. “Upgrades to interior lighting in 2011 and 2012 softened light levels and enhanced distribution, significantly reducing glare and occupant complaints and upgrades to exterior lighting from 2011 to 2013 boosted illumination in our parking areas and around the building, heightening safety and security,” he said.
“The air-sealing and HVAC improvements to our data center will ensure servers are cooled effectively and at a consistent temperature, reducing hotspots and premature equipment failure,” he said.
ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 65 different kinds of products, 1.4 million new homes and 20,000 commercial buildings and industrial plants that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Over the past twenty years, American families and businesses have saved more than $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions with help from ENERGY STAR. BCBSVT is the 50th building in Vermont to receive this certification.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is the state’s oldest and largest health insurer, providing coverage for about 200,000 Vermonters. It employs about 340 Vermonters at its headquarters in Berlin, a branch office in South Burlington and its Information and Wellness Center in South Burlington’s Blue Mall, and offers group and individual health plans to Vermonters. More information about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is available on the Internet at www.bcbsvt.com Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is an independent corporation operating under a license with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.
Source: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, June 20, 2014