by jbs022310 h3 — February 24, 2010—Office Depot, global provider of office products and services, recently announced the efficiency results of the company’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-Certified Store. The store, located in Austin, Texas, which was LEED Gold certified by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in May 2008, has lowered its carbon intensity by 23 percent thanks to a number of programs implemented at the store.
From November 2008 to November 2009, Office Depot tracked a variety of environmental impact factors including energy usage, carbon dioxide emissions and water efficiency at the location and compared it to other Office Depot retail stores in the same area. The company says that the energy savings were even greater than expected and that the location allowed them to test a variety of innovative solutions that will be used to pursue certification across multiple locations.
In addition to lowering its carbon emissions, the LEED Gold store has achieved numerous benefits, including:
- Reduced electricity usage (kWh per square foot) by 14 percent;
- Reduced carbon footprint (per square foot) by 23 percent;
Over 10 percent of the store’s energy needs met with solar power;
- Avoiding some 45,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) through the use of solar power;
- Lowered annual electricity costs by around 16 percent; and
Increased energy efficiency (per square foot) by 15 percent overall compared to other Office Depot retail locations in Austin.
Environmental attributes that have contributed to the store’s success include: solar tracking skylights; solar energy; lighting retrofit to energy-efficient T5 lighting; high-efficiency HVAC units; light sensors in all offices; enhanced energy management system; recycling program for cardboard, paper, plastics, ink/toner cartridges and technology; reflective white roof; non-asphalt, concrete parking lot; polished concrete floor; and recycled content carpet.
