SPOKANE, Wash., Feb 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The first phase of
replacing the 54-year old Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
(HVAC) system in Avista's (NYSE: AVA) Spokane, Wash., headquarters building has
earned the company a LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green
Building Council.
"This LEED Gold Certification is a continuation of Avista's
legacy of environmental stewardship and sustainable business
practices, including our focus on reducing energy use. The
recognition is especially meaningful since Avista was recognized
for innovative programs already in place," said Dennis Vermillion, president of Avista
Utilities. "The energy savings work that has earned this
recognition will also be implemented as the work continues on the
remaining four floors of our building."
Renovating the company's signature five-story headquarters
building is a five-year project that includes complete HVAC system
upgrades, asbestos removal, controls upgrades, replacing ceilings,
installing energy efficient lighting and windows. The redesigned
interior layout incorporates daylight harvesting that ensures
employees have access to natural light and existing windows.
When completed, the work will provide a healthier environment
for employees and is expected to save more than 1.4 million
kilowatt-hours of electricity, 66,000 therms of natural gas and
reduce Avista's annual energy costs by $149,000 a year. The energy savings are enough to
power 116 homes for a year and serve about 80 homes with natural
gas.
Contributing to the LEED Gold Certification for the 5th floor
HVAC upgrade is the existing innovative, energy efficient
1958-system that uses well-water to heat and cool Avista's
headquarters building. The new high efficiency HVAC system
continues to use the existing well-water system to cool the
building rather than a mechanical system. After the cooling
process, the water flows into a landscaping water feature where the
unaltered water cools before being released into the nearby Spokane
River.
About 56 percent of all construction waste from the 5th floor
HVAC upgrade was recycled or salvaged, some of which was processed
through Avista's on-site Investment Recovery Center for additional
cost savings. Some of the other aspects of the project that
contributed to the 5th floor LEED Gold Certification include
installing solar water heating, refurbishing more than 35 percent
of all furnishing in the space and purchasing used office
furnishing for an 87 percent savings over new equipment, and
purchasing renewable green e-certified credits.
"Stewardship of our financial resources is as important to
Avista as our environmental responsibilities. That's why this
project has focused on making smart low- or no-cost choices during
the renovation that add up to sustainable energy savings for our
landmark building for another half century," Vermillion said.
Spokane Design Build firm McKinstry, who focuses on sustainable
long-term solutions to facilities needs, designed and constructed
the improvements, as well as consulted on the LEED
certification.
"McKinstry gets involved in a lot of interesting projects, but
from the beginning, we could tell that this project and team were
very special. It was clear that this partnership with Avista and
the subcontracting community we were able to bring together would
deliver outstanding results," said Paul
Zasada, McKinstry's Inland Northwest Operations Manager.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, promotes
a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing
performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy
efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental
quality.
Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production,
transmission and distribution of energy as well as other
energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is our operating
division that provides electric service to 357,000 customers and
natural gas to 316,000 customers. Our service territory covers
30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern
Oregon, with a population of 1.5
million. Avista's primary, non-regulated subsidiary is Advantage
IQ. Our stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more
information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com.
Avista Corp. and the Avista Corp. logo are trademarks of Avista
Corporation.
SOURCE Avista Corp.