PECO Achieves LEED EBOM Gold for Philadelphia Headquarters

By Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

PECO Building in Philadelphia

Philadelphia–Electric and natural gas utility provider PECO has earned LEED Existing Building Operations + Maintenance (EBOM) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the company’s Philadelphia headquarters.

The company received the certification for the office high-rise located at 2301 Market St. in Center City, after performing a series of building upgrades and operational enhancements, including:

• Extensive energy-efficient lighting improvements from 2009 to 2014, which led to a reduction of 2,700 light fixtures and 30,000 fluorescent lamps;
• Heating and cooling upgrades and the installation of a new building automation system to control the HVAC system;
• A 45,000-square-foot green roof, which was installed in 2008 to mitigate storm water runoff and reduce energy usage for heating and cooling; and
• The building’s iconic Crown Lights system was updated with energy-efficient LED technology in 2009.

These upgrades have helped reduce building energy usage by 7.25 million kilowatt-hours each year.

Over the course of several years, the company has invested $15.3 million to improve the sustainability of its buildings and operations across southeastern Pennsylvania. PECO’s LEED initiative now comprises nearly 1.5 million square feet of building space, representing 80 percent of the total square footage of all the company’s buildings. PECO’s certified buildings now represent more than 30 percent of all LEED EBOM certified buildings throughout Pennsylvania.

“This certification is a testament to our steadfast dedication to sustainability and environmental leadership,” stated Craig Adams, president & CEO. “I commend the vision of Denis O’Brien, CEO of Exelon Utilities, who launched these initiatives in 2008, and the hard work of our employees who contributed to this achievement. This work has an ongoing positive environmental impact on our customers and communities we serve.”

The company’s Philadelphia headquarters joins 11 other LEED-certified PECO buildings across the region, including two LEED-New Construction Certified sites and nine EBOM Certified sites. These include:

• Warminster Service Building in Bucks County;
• Berwyn Campus (three buildings) and West Chester Service Building in Chester County;
• Baldwin Service Building in Delaware County;
• Plymouth and Phoenixville Service Buildings, and Plymouth Line School Building in Montgomery County; and
• G & Luzerne and Christian Street Service Buildings in Philadelphia County.

The company’s sustainability initiatives also include operating an environmentally friendly fleet and launching PECO Smart Ideas to help customers save energy and money. These efforts contribute to the long-term sustainability efforts of PECO’s parent company, Exelon, to benefit customers and communities.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons