WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Apr 4, 2014) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International with a 2014 ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through a superior commitment to energy efficiency. BOMA International has received a total of seven ENERGY STAR awards and remains the only commercial real estate association to have received this honor.

The 2014 Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, and employing innovative energy efficiency approaches. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program, including energy-efficient products, services, new homes and buildings in the commercial, industrial and public sectors. Award winners were selected from the 16,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program and will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 2014.

BOMA International, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2005, will be honored for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency, which is integrated into a number of its programs and initiatives, including:

• The 7-Point Challenge, which called on BOMA members to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent across real estate portfolios as gauged against an average building measuring a 50 on the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool over a five-year period. Since the program's successful conclusion in 2012, BOMA analysis has shown that participating buildings saw an average decrease of 26.7 kBtu/square foot in adjusted energy use and an average decrease of 113.35 kGal in total water use.

• Annual conference offerings, including the "Sustainability and Energy Management" education track and the Green Pavilion and ENERGY STAR® Showcase, which highlights solutions and products to help property professionals stay one step ahead of the energy management curve.

• Various publications, including Commercial Lease: Guide to Sustainable and Energy Efficient Leasing for High-Performance Buildings, the industry's first green lease guide now in its second edition, and Working Together for Sustainability: The RMI-BOMA Guide for Landlords and Tenants, a free eBook created in collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Institute that provides a framework for tenants and owners to share the benefits of energy efficiency savings.

• The BOMA 360 Performance Program^® and the Outstanding Building of the Year^® (TOBY) competition, both which require applicants to complete benchmarking through the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. BOMA 360 rates buildings across several areas of operations and management, including categories in Energy and Environmental/Sustainability.

• The launch of the BOMA STARS initiative in 2011 to promote the importance of benchmarking energy consumption in commercial buildings through EPA's Portfolio Manager by sharing that data with BOMA's Master Account. This effort highlighted the effectiveness of the voluntary marketplace in reducing energy consumption without costly new mandates. Since its launch, more than 3,000 buildings have benchmarked and shared their data with BOMA International.

• Ongoing cumulative accomplishments in the areas of advocacy, education, research and other industry initiatives.

Across the U.S., top organizations and companies are leading the way toward a more energy-efficient future through their participation in ENERGY STAR. Through 2013, with help from ENERGY STAR, American families and businesses have saved $297 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

"Winning our seventh ENERGY STAR award reaffirms BOMA International's continued role as an energy efficiency leader in the commercial real estate industry," commented BOMA International Chair Rich Greninger, managing director with Carr Properties. "We remain committed to providing building owners and managers with the energy management tools, education and resources to reduce consumption and strengthen the voluntary marketplace. We also would like to extend our congratulations to our many member companies who have been honored with 2014 ENERGY STAR awards for their sustainability efforts."

"BOMA International has earned EPA's highest ENERGY STAR award -- the 2014 Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award -- because of its unwavering commitment to helping its industry become increasingly more energy efficient," added EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe.

BOMA International previously was honored as ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2007 and 2008, and received the Sustained Excellence Award in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.

About BOMA International
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International is a federation of 93 BOMA U.S. associations and 14 international affiliates. Founded in 1907, BOMA represents the owners and managers of all commercial property types including nearly 10 billion square feet of U.S. office space that supports 3.7 million jobs and contributes $205 billion to the U.S. GDP. Its mission is to advance a vibrant commercial real estate industry through advocacy, influence and knowledge. Learn more at www.boma.org.

About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money, and help protect the environment for future generations. 16,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and buildings. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

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2014 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence Award

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