Radford University Leads Virginia in Residence Hall Energy Star Certification

With three of its residence buildings now Energy Star-certified, Radford University stands alone among its peers in the commonwealth of Virginia.

Radford University was recently awarded Energy Star-certification for Stuart, Young and Heth Halls, and according to energystar.gov, RU is the only university in Virginia with Energy Star-certified residence halls. 

Radford University now has five buildings that have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) symbol for superior energy efficiency. Floyd and Norwood Halls earned Energy Star certification in 2008.

"The Energy Star rating is positive confirmation from an important outside agency of Radford University’s commitment to energy efficiency,” said Jorge Coartney, RU’s director of facilities management.

Commercial buildings that earn the Energy Star rating use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 

“There have been a variety of technology and equipment upgrades in these buildings,” said Julio Stephens, RU sustainability coordinator. “But a lot of the savings come from the people in the buildings who are using energy more efficiently.”

EPA’s Energy Star energy performance scale helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide and was introduced by the EPA in 1992 as a voluntary way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings.

To learn more about the university’s sustainability activities, visit RU Sustainability.