FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 23, 2011

CONTACT:

Suzanne Pletcher, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, 303-447-0078 x5 or 707-489-1325 (cell)

Pima County Wins National Award

For Boosting Energy Efficiency in Buildings

TUCSON, AZ –Pima County’s building department was recognized today with a top national award for its efforts to make the county’s homes and businesses as energy efficient as possible.

The Excellence in Energy Code Compliance award was presented at the annual meeting of the International Code Council in Portland, Oregon, and recognizes cities, counties and states that have used innovative and cost-effective strategies to increase compliance with building energy codes.

“Pima County Development Services is a great example of what a building department can achieve for their communities by implementing practices that bring designers, builders and the code official together to construct very energy efficient buildings,” said Jim Meyers, buildings program director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project. “These buildings cost very little to heat and cool, which means that citizens are more comfortable in their homes and have more money to spend each month in the local community.”

Pima County was one of three recipients who received the award sponsored by the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and the Global Buildings Performance Network.

In making the award, IMT’s code compliance specialist, Ryan Meres, noted that Pima County offers "beyond code" programs to familiarize builders with the latest advances in energy-efficient building techniques. Pima County residents benefit by having some of the most efficient new homes in the nation, Meres said.

At the awards presentation, IMT noted that the economic recession has impeded many municipalities’ efforts to enforce newer energy codes because of budget constraints and lack of staff time for training, outreach, implementation and enforcement. Pima County overcame those obstacles by forging partnerships with stakeholder organizations such as Tucson Electric Power utility, construction trade and builder associations. Those partnerships enabled builders in southern Arizona to achieve the building energy code goals for new buildings with limited financial resources.

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The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a public interest organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. To learn more, visit www.swenergy.org.