Verizon is an Energy Star

Verizon Communications Inc. (New York) has announced that two of its Verizon Wireless stores earned the 2008 Energy Star from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The stores – in Omaha, Neb., and Toledo, Ohio – are the first wireless retail stores and two of only six retail locations nationwide to be awarded the 2008 designation.

Verizon installed temperature sensors and energy management systems to monitor heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system use; control temperature set-points and internal and external lighting schedules; and track data usage history for maintenance and service requirements. The systems activate the ventilating, heating and lighting systems automatically based on the stores' operating hours.

To further reduce energy usage, Verizon installed LED exit signs and installed a micro-controller on vending machines. The stores also feature insulated water heaters to reduce heating costs and properly sealed building “envelopes” and entry doors to prevent the loss of heated or cooled air.

“Energy-saving initiatives are not only good for the environment, they also make us a more efficient and customer-friendly company by helping us keep operating costs down and allowing us to redirect those resources to improving the customer experience,” said Jack Plating, Verizon’s executive vp and chief operating officer.

The EPA's national energy performance rating system provides a 1 to 100 point scale that helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a rating of 75 or higher is eligible for the Energy Star. The system was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy-efficiency.