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| A Wild Oats supermarket in Boulder, Colo., has gained a LEED
certification. |
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The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council
continues to become a bigger and bigger buzzword. Since its inception in 1998,
LEED has grown to encompass over 14,000 projects in the United States and 30
countries.
It is most often identified with projects in which the
primary climate control is HVAC, such as in office buildings. But it is also
gathering more and more attention on the refrigeration side, especially in
supermarkets.
Several years ago, a presentation at a Food Marketing
Institute Energy and Technical Services conference focused on one supermarket
looking at what it had already done in terms of energy efficiency improvements
and being perceived as a ‘green’ project. Those involved in the process
discovered that with just a few more tweaks, it could garner LEED
certification.
These days, the process is more formal and intentional as
with the recent announcement that Clive Samuels and Associates performed the
mechanical, electrical and refrigeration system designs for the LEED-certified
Wild Oats pilot supermarket in Boulder, Colo.
The USGBC awarded the Boulder store the Silver LEED
certification level under its new Retail Pilot rating system. This store is the
first supermarket and second overall store to formally receive such a
certification, according to a statement from Clive Samuels and Associates.
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“The built environment has a profound impact on our natural
environment, economy, health and productivity,” said Tom Hicks, vice president,
USGBC. “A green building is a high-performance building which is more
environmentally responsible, healthier and more profitable.”
The store will ultimately achieve an estimated 25 percent
reduction in energy usage, it was reported. The store’s design makes use of the
ambient weather conditions in Boulder with an energy- efficient lighting system
that applies daylight harvesting.
It also touts a refrigeration system that was developed to
minimize the environmental impact of both high-energy usage and traditional
refrigeration systems with large refrigerant charges. By minimizing refrigerant
charges using secondary loop alternative technology on the medium- temperature
application, the amount of refrigerant used was reduced by 76 percent.
“Our entire organization is committed to providing products
and services that enhance energy efficiency and sustainability for the retail
market,” said Clive Samuels. “We are truly excited to have contributed a design
that helped Wild Oats achieve this highly-honored certification.”
For more information, visit
www.hardinet.org.
Publication date: 03/31/2008
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