Five,Washington,Businesses,Hon business, insurance Five Washington Businesses to Be Honored by the EPA for Thei

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week notified five Washington-based businesses that they will receive 2009 ENERGY STAR awards at a ceremony on March 31 in Washington, D.C. The energy conservation efforts of Advantage IQ, Kennedy Associates, Providence Health & Services, Puget Sound Energy and Seattle Lighting all received EPA national recognition.  The EPA gives ENERGY STAR awards annually to organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution. “Energy efficiency reduces consumption and pollution, creates jobs and makes our economy more efficient,” said Gov. Chris Gregoire. “Through their efforts, this year’s winners from Washington prove our state is a leader in energy efficiency by using our natural resources wisely and improving our economic competitiveness. The country is taking notice.”  The Washington winners were selected from among 12,000 organizations across the United States for their leadership in addressing global warming by delivering information and services to their customers that increase energy efficiency. A total of 90 organizations were recognized nationwide.  The winning Washington state initiatives involved:  Advantage IQ, Sustained Excellence award (Spokane headquarters)  Advantage IQ offers qualifying clients the ability to automate their ENERGY STAR building rating process and has completed over 85 percent of all automated building ratings issued by the EPA. Advantage IQ’s proprietary system gathers cost and consumption data and then interfaces with ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager, allowing companies to benchmark and assess consumption across their portfolio against others in their industry. Clients are able to identify under-performing buildings, verify efficiency improvements, and receive EPA recognition for superior energy performance.  Partnering with over 500 multi-site companies nationwide to assess energy costs and usage, Advantage IQ offers a full suite of energy management services to help companies balance the financial, social and environmental aspects of doing business.  Kennedy Associates, Partner of the Year award (Seattle headquarters)  An EPA ENERGY STAR partner since 2005, Kennedy’s ENERGY STAR program is a key component of its commitment to Responsible Property Investing (RPI) and improving energy efficiency across its portfolio of commercial real estate assets. The award highlights the work of Kennedy’s ENERGY STAR and RPI Committees and details Kennedy’s creation of new software tools, guidance manuals, ENERGY STAR reports and training provided for its asset managers and analysts during 2008. Kennedy benchmarks all eligible office and industrial buildings monthly within the ENERGY STAR, which currently represents greater than 23 million square feet. Kennedy’s 2008 benchmarking activities resulted in a 4.5 percent reduction in energy use, compared to a 2.1 percent reduction in 2007, estimated energy savings of approximately $660,000 and the reduction of 5,187 metric tons of CO2. ENERGY STAR-labeled buildings within the Kennedy portfolio represent approximately $2 billion in market value.  Providence Health & Services, Sustained Excellence award (Seattle headquarters)  Providence Health & Services knows that caring for the health and wellness of people in the communities we serve also means caring for the environment. Since 1997, Providence has made a committed effort to managing and reducing energy utilization in our hospitals, clinics and administrative buildings. Partnering with companies such as Puget Sound Energy and Advantage IQ has helped Providence to seek out renewable energy alternatives and reduce our demand on traditional energy sources. Providence also incorporates energy saving features in our newly constructed and remodeled facilities, such as motion activated lighting and high efficiency heating and cooling systems. This is the third year Providence has received an EPA ENERGY STAR award. In addition, eight Providence facilities were recognized in 2009 as ENERGY STAR Certified Hospitals/Medical Buildings — the most of any health care system in the nation.  Puget Sound Energy, Partner of the Year (Bellevue headquarters)  In addition to working with dozens of ENERGY STAR award recipients’ local operations -- including Providence Health & Services hospitals, PSE won its own ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for Energy Efficiency Program Delivery. PSE’s winning program is the Washington-based utility’s Residential New Construction ENERGY STAR Lighting Program, which works with participating showrooms and distributors to provide point-of-sale incentives to home builders in its 11-county service area. Builders receive the incentives for installing ENERGY STAR pin-based fixtures in new single family homes. In 2008, additional program outreach to builders, contractors, manufacturers, and new home buyers resulted in a surprising upswing in participation, despite a 30 percent downturn in construction projects, demonstrating the value of energy efficiency as a means of economic stimulus in uncertain times.About Advantage IQ: Advantage IQ is a leading provider of comprehensive cost management services for utility, telecom, waste and lease expenses, including strategic energy management services. Their patented technology and services provide multi-site companies with critical, yet easy-to-access information that enables companies to proactively manage and reduce expenses. Advantage IQ’s patented Facility IQ™ System provides online access to cost and consumption data, partnered with powerful analytical reporting tools. For more information about Advantage IQ, visit www.advantageiq.com or call toll-free 1-800-791-7564. ###