Browsing the web this morning brought two important news items to my attention. The first covers a recent news release by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning their Energy Star Leaders program. Last year the 'Leaders' prevented over 220,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and saved over $48 million across their commercial building portfolios. According to the EPA these savings have quadrupled since 2008 and make this past year the most successful since the program's launch in 2004. This is wonderful news! 

According to the EPA, these emissions are equivalent to those from the electricity use of almost 39,000 homes annually. With success like that it will be exciting to see the numbers from 2010. It should be noted for those that don't know, that the EPA labels any organization an Energy Star Leader that cuts its energy use by 10 percent across its entire building portfolio. Those aspiring to become a "top performer" must perform on average in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide.

The second piece of news covers the recently established State Energy Efficiency (SEE) Action Network. This network, put in place by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the EPA, was created to aid and speed up energy-efficiency initiatives across the country. It will be  an organization for states to turn to for policy and technical support regarding several initiatives. These include energy efficiency measures, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and efforts to cut energy costs. 

It's great to see more support built up because it strengthens the President's commitment to energy efficiency measures. Hopefully it will provide an easier and faster way for states to receive funding and energy recommendations. It will probably take a little time to get fully established, so we'll be on the lookout for any new development along the way.