Two of Pittsburgh-based Highmark Inc.'s midstate facilities recently earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star certification, the health insurer said Sept. 27.

Highmark's 1800 Center St. facility in East Pennsboro Township and data center in West Hanover Township were recognized.

The 612,000-square-foot Center Street building has undergone renovations to include energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, motion-detector lighting and power-usage-reduction software.

The data center uses state-of-the-art systems to manage power, water consumption and more. Natural light is used in 93 percent of occupied areas of the building, and 80,000 gallons of water are stored underneath the facility from rainwater collected off the roof to cool the building naturally.

The Energy Star award signifies that each building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide, meeting strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

Commercial buildings that earn it use an average of 35 percent less energy than similar buildings across the country.