Iconic Landmark Receives ENERGY STAR Recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency NEW YORK, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The ground-breaking energy efficiency work at the Empire State Building has achieved a milestone on its journey for sustainability leadership in the commercial real estate community by receiving an ENERGY STAR rating of 90 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The designation for the Empire State Building signifies that the property's energy performance is in the top tenth percentile of all commercial office buildings, new and old, across the nation. An ENERGY STAR rating of 90 was a stated objective in the iconic property's overall sustainability retrofit initiative launched in April 2009. The retrofit is comprised of eight key initiatives: 1.Window Light Retrofit: Refurbishment of approximately 6,500 thermopane glass windows, using existing glass and sashes to create triple-glazed insulated panels with new components that dramatically reduce both summer heat load and winter heat loss. 2.Radiator Insulation Retrofit: Added insulation behind radiators to reduce heat loss and more efficiently heat the building perimeter. 3.Tenant Lighting, Daylighting and Plug Upgrades: Introduction of improved lighting designs, daylighting controls, and plug load occupancy sensors in common areas and tenant spaces to reduce electricity costs and cooling loads. 4.Air Handler Replacements: Replacement of air handling units with variable frequency drive fans to allow increased energy efficiency in operation while improving comfort for individual tenants. 5.Chiller Plant Retrofit: Reuse of existing chiller shells while removing and replacing "guts" to improve chiller efficiency and controllability, including the introduction of variable frequency drives. 6.Whole-Building Control System Upgrade: Upgrade of existing building control system to optimize HVAC operation as well as provide more detailed sub-metering information. 7.Ventilation Control Upgrade: Introduction of demand control ventilation in occupied spaces to improve air quality and reduce energy required to condition outside air. 8.Tenant Energy Management Systems: Introduction of individualized, web-based power usage systems for each tenant to allow more efficient management of power usage. In addition to ENERGY STAR certification, the work at the Empire State Building would qualify under current standards for LEED-EB Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council.
