Department of Energy Building at Brookhaven Lab Earns ENERGY STAR Label

February 24, 2005

UPTON, NY - The U.S. Department of Energy Brookhaven Area Office - an 11,644-square-foot building located on the Brookhaven National Laboratory site - has earned an ENERGY STAR label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The ENERGY STAR label distinguishes the building as one of the top 25 percent in the nation in terms of energy performance.

Photo of Mike Bebon and Michael Holland enlarge

Brookhaven Lab's Deputy Director for Operations Mike Bebon (right) offers congratulations to Michael Holland, DOE's Brookhaven Area Office Manager in front of DOE's ENERGY STAR-labeled building. (Click image to download hi-res version.)

In 1992, the EPA introduced ENERGY STAR as a voluntary program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 1996, EPA partnered with the Department of Energy (DOE) for particular product categories. Currently, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on such items as major appliances, office equipment, lighting, home electronics, and on new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. The program saves businesses, organizations and consumers more than $8 billion per year.

Made of concrete block with a flat wood deck roof, the DOE-Brookhaven Area Office was built in 1945 as part of the U.S. Army's Camp Upton and expanded in 1993. The heating, ventilation and air-conditioning in the building are electrically powered. Over the years, several energy-conservation measures have been implemented in the building to reduce energy use and control costs. These include setting back temperature controls to save energy during unoccupied hours and installing fluorescent lighting — including some lamps retrofitted with 34-watt super-saver bulbs — throughout the building for illumination. Energy performance demonstrates that the building exceeds ENERGY STAR compliance guidelines.

Also, indoor air quality is another requirement for the ENERGY STAR label. The air in the DOE building is considered clean because there are no facilities capable of producing either noxious fumes and no other air contaminants nearby, and the Brookhaven Lab site-wide policy of no smoking in any building is in effect.

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