BOMA Launches 'Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking' Campaign
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International launched the Lighting Energy Efficiency in Parking (LEEP) Campaign in September to encourage commercial building owners and managers and parking garage/lot owners and managers to save energy and money by using high-efficiency lighting technology in parking lots and structures. BOMA is coordinating the campaign with the International Facilities Management Association and the Green Parking Council. The US Department of Energy is the campaign's technical adviser.
Participating building owners and managers agree to evaluate their portfolio to identify potential parking lots or parking structures that can apply high-efficiency lighting technology, and to use high-efficiency lighting where feasible and cost-effective. Both retrofit and new construction projects are eligible to participate in the campaign. Existing sites that have been built or retrofitted with high-efficiency technology are also eligible to participate in the campaign, if they were built or retrofitted after January 2010.
LEEP's goal is to recruit 100 million square feet of parking structure or lot space to use roughly one-third less energy than ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010. Based on estimates, these energy savings will equal more than 51 million kilowatt-hours, equivalent to the annual electricity use of almost 4500 homes or the annual greenhouse gas emissions from almost 7000 passenger vehicles.
"Tremendous progress has been made in recent years on the quality and cost-effectiveness of LED lighting and other technologies," remarked BOMA International Chair Joseph W. Markling, managing director of Strategic Accounts at real estate services company CBRE. "There has never been a better time to retrofit parking lots and structures, as state-of-the-art lighting technologies can last two to five times longer than traditional outdoor lights. Additionally, these systems pay for themselves quickly by cutting energy costs by up to 70 percent and maintenance costs by up to 90 percent."
The LEEP Campaign website, www.leepcampaign.org, gives interested organizations information on technical and financial assistance, as well as case studies, rebates and incentives. Organizations that join LEEP will be recognized on the campaign website for their participation. Projects with notable energy savings will receive awards from the LEEP campaign and will be profiled on the site. The deadline for submitting project information is November 30, 2013. Results and awards will be announced in February 2014.
LEEP's supporting partners include the Commercial Buildings Consortium, the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub, regional efficiency organizations, such as the South-Central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource, and electric utilities like San Diego Gas & Electric. These supporters are committed to promoting the campaign to their members and service areas. Other organizations are encouraged to sign up as supporters, and help spread the word about the LEEP campaign opportunity with others.
About BOMA International
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International is an international federation of more than 100 local associations and affiliated organizations. Founded in 1907, its 16,500-plus members own or manage more than 9 billion square feet of commercial properties. BOMA International's mission is to enhance the human, intellectual and physical assets of the commercial real estate industry through advocacy, education, research, standards and information.
