Verizon Wireless (Basking Ridge, N.J.) announced that 32 of the company's communications stores have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Energy Star, the national symbol for energy efficiency and environmental protection.
Retail locations that are 5000 square feet or greater and earn an energy performance rating of 75 or higher are eligible for recognition after an EPA review.
“We want every one of our stores to be energy efficient,” says Jack Plating, executive vp and chief operating officer of Verizon Wireless. “Implementing environmentally-friendly practices throughout the company is a priority for us, and we use the EPA Energy Star guidelines as benchmarking tools for our stores.”
To improve the stores’ energy efficiency, Verizon Wireless installed temperature sensors and energy management systems to monitor heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system use; controlled temperature set-points as well as internal and external lighting schedules; and tracked usage history for maintenance and service requirements. The systems help Verizon Wireless save on energy costs by activating the ventilating, heating and lighting systems automatically based on the stores' operating hours.
To further reduce energy usage, Verizon Wireless also installed LED exit signs and microcontrollers on vending machines. Insulated water heaters reduce heating costs and properly sealed building “envelopes” and entry doors help prevent heating and cooling loss.
The EPA's national energy performance rating system provides a one to 100 point scale that helps organizations assess how efficiently buildings of a certain size use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide.