Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

Monday, January 25, 2010

Contacts:

Rod Kauffman
BOMA Seattle & King County - Main Office
206-622-8924

Jack Davis
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) - Portland
503-827-8416

Kyle Stuart
Coates Kokes - Portland
503-241-1124 ext. 137

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOMA Seattle | King County Challenges Office Buildings to “Crackdown” on Energy Usage
Seattle, Wash. (January 25, 2010) – The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Seattle King County announced the launch of the 2nd “Kilowatt Crackdown,” a competition challenging all Puget Sound-area office buildings to improve building energy consumption. This unique contest will allow property managers and building owners to demonstrate their leadership in energy efficient building operations, identify the most energy efficient buildings in the market, and which properties are making the greatest gains in performance. Participants will assess their building’s energy performance; calculate their ENERGY STAR® rating and work to improve that score over a two year period.

Registration is available from January 25th – April 30th online at: http://kilowattcrackdown.betterbricks.com

“This is a tough market right now, so it’s natural for building owners and property managers to focus on operational savings through lower energy bills,” said Rod Kauffman, president of BOMA Seattle King County. “The power in this event is that it’s about forward thinking – putting your building in the best competitive position for when the market recovers.”

Several new categories this year offer additional ways to recognize achievements in energy efficiency. In addition to the highest performing and most improved building categories, separate categories for smaller buildings (40,000 to 100,000 sq. ft.), the Climate Leader Award, and the Most Valuable Tenant Award will be given out to deserving leaders that have taken energy management to the next level.

Kilowatt Crackdown sponsors -- including Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, Tacoma Power, Snohomish PUD, BetterBricks and Seattle City of Seattle -- have all stepped forward to make technical and educational assistance available to participants, as well as media coverage and recognition.

For more information about the event, or to register, visit http://kilowattcrackdown.betterbricks.com

Established in 1912, BOMA Seattle King County is a professional trade association that is the voice of the office building and commercial real estate industry. BOMA Seattle King County has several hundred members from 250 firms who either own or manage commercial real estate or provide goods and services to the industry. BOMA Seattle King County works to actively represent the best interests of the commercial real estate owner, the real estate professional and its allied members through effective leadership in advocacy, the collection and dissemination of information and professional development and accreditation. BOMA Seattle King County is a local association federated with BOMA International.

BetterBricks is the commercial initiative of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, which is supported by local electric utilities. Through the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, BetterBricks advocates for changes to energy-related business practices in Northwest buildings. On betterbricks.com, find information, tools, training and resources to help buildings make a difference to the bottom line.

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