PECO’s West Chester Building Earns Silver LEED Certification
The United States Green Building Council has awarded silver certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) to PECO’s West Chester Service Building. The award is given for meeting stringent energy usage and environmental impact standards.
The building, located on South Bolmar Street in West Chester, Chester County, opened early last year as part of PECO’s corporate-wide environmental initiative.
Expected to use 20 percent less energy and 40 percent less water than the previous structure, the building’s energy-efficient and environmentally friendly features include:
- Reflective roofing materials and extensive use of natural light;
- Installation of low-flow water devices;
- Use of 20 percent recycled materials including construction, furniture and fixtures;
- Use of energy efficient lighting;
- New heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, and energy monitoring equipment to improve indoor air quality; and
- Preferred parking for van/car-pooling and alternative fuel vehicles.
“As an energy company and prominent business leader, being environmentally responsible is not just a nice thing to do – it is the right thing to do,” said Denis O’Brien, PECO president and CEO. “Receiving silver LEED certification is one more accomplishment that demonstrates our commitment to the environment.”
The building was constructed with locally produced materials such as bricks, windows and cement, helping local businesses and reducing the amount of energy required for transportation. More than 50 percent of the construction waste material also was recycled instead of being sent to a landfill.
Construction of the West Chester Service Building is part of a more than $15 million ongoing initiative at PECO to preserve the environment and to help customers become more environmentally responsible. Other environmental projects include the completion of a 45,000 square foot green roof and the installation of a new Crown Lights messaging system at the company’s Center City headquarters, upgrades to secure Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for many other company buildings throughout the region, the increased use of hybrid and biodiesel vehicles, and support for community and customer environmental and energy efficiency projects.
These environmental efforts contribute to and support Exelon 2020: A Low-Carbon Roadmap, the comprehensive environmental plan of PECO’s parent company. Exelon 2020 sets the goal of reducing, offsetting or displacing more than 15 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020. The corporation will do this by reducing or offsetting the company’s carbon footprint, helping customers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and providing more low-carbon electricity in the marketplace.
The LEED® Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category.
Source: PECO
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