Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol Selected as Contestant in EPA National Building Competition

AUSTIN, Texas, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Officials of the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol, today announced that the hotel has been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) first national competition among commercial buildings to save energy and fight climate change. In the spirit of popular weight-loss competitions, the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol will compete against 13 other buildings across the country to "work off the waste" through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA's ENERGY STAR program. The building that sheds the most energy waste on a percentage basis will be recognized as the winner of EPA's National Building Competition in late October 2010.  The hotel is owned and operated by HEI Hotels & Resorts.

"Sustainability is good business, plain and simple," said Chris Alto, the Sheraton's general manager.  "Not only does it help global efforts to make the planet a cleaner place to live, but it also creates meaningful cost reductions to our bottom line.  HEI has been a leading proponent of 'green initiatives' for some time now, as evidenced by being named a 2010 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year.  Our goal is to continue this mission."

Nearly 200 buildings applied to participate in the National Building Competition, which will judge the energy performance of the 14 finalists from September 1, 2009 to August 31, 2010. The energy use of each building is being monitored with EPA's online measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager. Contestants will receive technical assistance from EPA, as well as energy fitness advice from celebrity trainer, Bob Harper. Each building will participate in a mid-point weigh-in and post their results online at the competition website. Twitter updates by contestants will also be available at www.twitter.com/EnergyStarBldgs/contestants

"Buildings of all shapes and sizes are saving money and energy with help from EPA and ENERGY STAR," said Jean Lupinacci, director of EPA's ENERGY STAR Commercial Buildings Program. "We applaud the contestants of EPA's National Building Competition for taking action to protect the environment and fight climate change."

According to EPA, energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. On average, 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. Thousands of businesses and organizations work with the EPA's ENERGY STAR program and are saving billions of dollars and preventing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering our atmosphere each year.

• Learn more about the National Building Competition: www.energystar.gov/BuildingContest
• Learn more about ENERGY STAR: www.energystar.gov/buildings
• Learn more about the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capital: www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3079

About HEI Hotels & Resorts

HEI Hotels & Resorts, headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., is a leading hospitality investment firm that acquires, develops, owns and operates full-service, upper upscale and luxury hotels and resorts throughout the United States under such well-known brand names as Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Embassy Suites, and Hilton.  For more information about HEI, visit the company's website, www.heihotels.com.

SOURCE HEI Hotels & Resorts