Northwestern becomes first university to earn ENERGY STAR® award consecutively

Northwestern University has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2019 ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year Award, which recognizes the University’s achievements in energy efficiency, including efforts to accurately track energy usage data and measure progress in reducing consumption.

Northwestern is the first university to receive the ENERGY STAR^® Partner of the Year Award for two years consecutively and is the only university being honored with the award this year. Northwestern will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 11.

“Northwestern is honored to be recognized again as a national leader in improving operational and energy efficiency while also safeguarding our environment,” said Craig Johnson, Northwestern’s senior vice president for business and finance. “This work is rooted in our faculty, students and staff working together to implement innovative solutions.”

Northwestern’s notable accomplishments include completing a comprehensive building energy consumption audit of all 222 campus buildings and implementing a new dashboard system that supplies key departmental contacts across campus with monthly utility consumption reports. These reports provide greater transparency of utility consumption and cost, incentivize energy conservation and provide necessary data to support strategic planning. 

“I applaud the 2019 ENERGY STAR Award Winners,” said Bill Wehrum, the EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation. “Reducing costly energy waste improves air quality and public health while protecting the environment.”

Northwestern also has leveraged ENERGY STAR’s^® communication and outreach tools to educate the University community and area residents about how they can save energy and reduce costs in their daily activities.

“As a university, we are proud to prepare the next generation of leaders and citizens to create a more sustainable future,” Johnson said. 

Northwestern’s energy efficiency efforts support the broader goals outlined in the University’s Strategic Sustainability Plan.

For a complete list of 2019 winners and more information about the ENERGY STAR^® awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.