Green Building & Energy Efficiency

Charleston County currently tracks energy and water usage for 74 buildings in EnergyStar's Portfolio Manager. EnergyStar provides an EnergyStar score from 1-100 for specific eligible property types. For the County, the only eligible property types are courthouse and office building. Properties that score 75 or above are eligible for EnergyStar certification. For properties that don't receive an EnergyStar score, EnergyStar provides a current and baseline Source Energy Use Intensity (EUI) value. Source EUI is the total amount of raw fuel required to operate the building (kBtu) divided by the building's Gross Floor Area (ft2). The lower the Source EUI, the more energy efficient the building is.

The County is using this data to identify buildings for energy efficiency projects.

Energy Savings at the County

Since 2011, Charleston County has used Dominion Energy’s EnergyWise for Business Program to save energy and money by upgrading lighting, HVAC, and completing custom projects.

The County has completed 30 energy efficiency projects in 18 buildings which include higher efficiency equipment and LED lighting replacement. See the graphs below for energy and cost savings from 2011 to 2023.

Public Services Building Spotlight:

In November 2021, Facilities Management completed an LED interior lighting retrofit in the Public Service Building (PSB), one of the County's flagship buildings. This project resulted in energy savings for the County by reducing the kilowatts per hour used by 40%, which qualified the building for Dominion Energy's EnergyWise for Business program. Charleston County received a rebate check for $32,022 for participating in the program, and the retrofit is projected to reduce the buildings energy costs by 35-40% a year. The project was completed in two phases and cost a total of $195,807.