by Rebecca Walker — April 26, 2010—Fannie Mae’s 247,000-square-foot data center in Urbana, Maryand, was the first such facility certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to earn the LEED rating, back in 2005. In the ensuing years, the data center has saved the agency $1.7 million in energy use, according to reports.
The center’s lighting, mechanical, electrical and computer systems were selected for maximum energy efficiency. Other green strategies included putting catalytic converters on the backup power diesel generators, as well as minimizing the footprint of the data center.
And while certifying a green facility can be an expensive process, Fannie Mae expects to save on operations and maintenance costs.
“The Urbana Technology Center’s LEED certification will translate into significant lifecycle savings, while providing our employees with a healthier, more comfortable work environment. It also allows us to be a good neighbor within the local community,” Brian Cobb, Fannie Mae’s senior vice president for enterprise systems management, said in a statement.
In addition to energy savings, the facility has saved more than 23 million gallons of water over the course of five years, or nearly 13,000 gallons per day.
“Fannie Mae’s technology center is an excellent case study of how building projects of varying scopes and scales can achieve energy efficiency,” Rick Fedrizzi, the president, CEO and Founding Chair of the USGBC, said in a statement. “Fannie Mae’s early adoption of LEED not only demonstrates their environmental stewardship, but can attest to the simple premise that by consuming less, companies inherently save more and will do so throughout the lifecycle of the building.”
For more information, see the U.S. Green Building Council Web site.
