A multi-family housing project in Duluth is the first multifamily housing project to receive an EPA award for energy efficiency in Minnesota. The Steve O’Neil Apartment, which is used to shelter homeless people, won the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Certification. That means, according to Minnesota Public Radio News, that the construction is 15 percent more efficient than typical new construction.
Slightly more than 100 apartments and condominiums have received this certification nationwide. The complex, which cost $12.8 million, opened in December 2014. It consists of 44 apartments and a six-room emergency family shelter.
Energy Star is a sought after designation. Late last month, a building in Allentown, PA got such a certification, according to The Morning Call. The Two City Center office building is more energy efficient than 93 percent of similar buildings nationwide. The 11-story building features 290,000 square feet of retail and office space. It is the fifth most efficient building of its type in Pennsylvania for 2015.