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SALT LAKE CITY — Mayor Jackie Biskupski on Friday awarded four Salt Lake City building owners for stellar energy efficiency and environmental footprints.
The annual Mayor's Skyline Challenge Awards, launched in 2014, encourages building owners to improve their buildings' environmental impact by evaluating their energy use, setting goals and completing energy-saving projects.
"You've set a high bar for the rest of our commercial buildings to follow," Biskupski told winners at the awards banquet at the Gallivan Center Friday. "Your leadership in implementing energy efficiency improvement projects protects our public health, bolsters our quality of life and ensures a robust economy for decades to come."
Award winners were 170 South Main, for industry leader; Intermountain Healthcare, for community leadership; Rocky Mountain Power, for energy benchmarking champion; and Wingcrest, for most improved energy performance.
City officials said 170 South Main implemented multiple energy management practices — like new CO2 sensors, motion sensing lights, and an energy efficiency competition among tenants on each of the building's floors, to earn their award.
Intermountain Healthcare was recognized for not only implementing energy efficient practices across its facilities, but also by serving as a vocal advocate for energy efficiency throughout the community.
Rocky Mountain Power was awarded for partnering with Salt Lake City on the U.S. Department of Energy's Data Accelerator program, a nationwide effort to provide automated energy data to building owners while maintaining the privacy of energy customers. City officials said Rocky Mountain Power unveiled a fully functioning automated service in the fall of 2015.
Wingcrest, a building at 5245 Yeager Road, was also recognized for completing several energy efficiency projects: a new control system to monitor the boiler, air units, and roof exhaust fans and new LED exterior and interior lighting, among other efforts.
"Using energy and especially wasting energy has very significant impacts," Biskupski said. "Improving efficiency of our largest buildings improves the air we breathe and actually puts money back into our pockets. And who doesn't like that?"
According to Utah Geological Survey, 68 percent of electricity consumption and 40 percent of all natural gas consumption in Utah is represented by the building sector alone.
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality also says at least 40 percent of Utah's poor air quality can be traced back to buildings and homes.
The Mayor's Skyline Challenge is one of several ongoing sustainability initiatives Biskupski is leading to improve air quality and the city's environmental impact.
Earlier this week, she and the City Council issued a joint resolution committing to transition Salt Lake City to 100 percent renewable electricity sources by 2032 and reduce the city's total greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2040.
