Miami-Dade County celebrates Energy Efficiency Day 2023

In recognition of the 8th annual national Energy Efficiency Day on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, the Miami-Dade County Chief Resilience Officer James Murley, and County Energy Director Dr. Patricia Gomez, joined City of Doral Mayor Christi Fraga and participants in the Building Efficiency 305 Challenge (BE305 Challenge) for a celebration at the Doral Cultural Arts Center. Local businesses, utilities, universities, and municipalities also joined the festivities to promote energy efficiency – the cheapest, quickest way to meet energy needs, cut utility bills, and reduce pollution.

Last year, Miami-Dade County led the way in promoting this national event when Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava offered a proclamation. Doral Mayor Fraga continued this new local tradition by presenting an official proclamation declaring October 4th Energy Efficiency Day in the City of Doral and calling upon residents to join her in Doral’s continuing collaborative work to make the community more energy efficient in all facets of daily life. At the event, it was also announced that the City of Doral Government Center will be this year’s first of eight recipients of a free energy and water audit performed by the Industrial Assessment Center at the University of Miami through the Building Efficiency 305 Program.

“Miami-Dade County is leading the way on energy efficiency in our region and our state,” said County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “I am so proud of the City of Doral and our other local government partners who are dedicating themselves to cutting energy and water use through the BE305 Challenge. You all are proving that by making small, low-cost and no-cost changes, we can save energy and water used in our buildings and cut costs for the people who live and work in them while also protecting the environment. It is a true testament to how we are making our county future-ready to meet the challenges of climate change by creating a just transition to a greener, more resilient and equitable economy.”

Smarter energy use means our community doesn’t have to generate as much power to meet our needs. Through substantive energy and water efficiency in County, municipal, institutional, and commercial buildings, the BE305 Challenge is helping building owners and managers free up business capital for more productive uses, stimulate growth for communities, foster new business opportunities, and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings to help Miami-Dade reach the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“I am proud to be partnering with Miami-Dade County and neighboring municipalities and businesses to celebrate Energy Efficiency Day at one of Doral’s newest Florida Green Building certified facilities, the Doral Cultural Arts Center,” said City of Doral Mayor Christi Fraga. “Energy efficiency is at the forefront of many of our priorities at the City of Doral as we aim for sustainability in all areas with the understanding of how important it is to protect the environment for future generations. As part of the BE305 Challenge, we remain committed to this cause for the betterment of our communities locally, nationally, and even worldwide.”

The BE305 Challenge is a key way the County is implementing the Climate Action Strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Buildings produce 37 % of community greenhouse gas emissions in Miami-Dade County, and up to 30 % of this energy is wasted. The BE305 Challenge targets that waste. The economic and environmental benefits associated with the broader BE305 program include $37 million to $112 million in energy and water savings, 61 million gallons of water saved, and up to 1 million metric tons of GHG emissions.

To learn more about Miami-Dade County’s energy efficiency efforts, visit https://www.miamidade.gov/global/economy/resilience/building-efficiency-305.page