Build Magazine July 2015

Build Magazine 37 Eco Building and encourage them to adopt their energy conserving products. Business are also able to claim the subsidies, for example the Penn- sylvania Convention Center, which announced recently that they had received $60,000 in PECO Smart Ideas rebates. During the past two years, the Convention Center has replaced lighting throughout the facility and in the adjacent 12th Street tunnel with energy-efficient LED lighting. This new lighting will save the Convention Center about 607,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy savings annually. Liz Murphy, Vice President of Governmental and External Affairs, PECO, said the firm was delighted to help the center. “With PECO Smart Ideas, we are at the forefront of the energy industry, driving innovative programs to help our customers save energy and money. We are proud to partner with the Pennsylvania Convention Center on their energy efficiency initiatives, and we congratulate them on this work to help make Philadelphia a more sustainable city to live in, work and visit.” Another aspect of PECO’s energy effi- ciency drive is their continued invest- ment in the natural gas industry. As part of the firm’s commitment to provide safe and reliable natural gas service, the company is investing $750,000 to en- hance the local natural gas distribution system in Spring City, Chester County. The project will include the replace- ment of existing natural gas main and bare steel natural gas service lines with new plastic pipe, which enhances safety, is more durable and improves service reliability. Project work began in June and will occur in phases through November 2015. Work will be completed along Broad, Cedar, Chestnut, Church, Hall, Main, Wall and Walnut streets. Work will be coordinated with any planned township or utility projects to minimize the impact to area traffic and the community. These projects are part of nearly $90 million in investments that PECO is making to its natural gas system this year. This includes inspecting equip- ment, completing necessary repairs or replacements, performing preventive maintenance work, and installing ad- ditional natural gas main and service lines to bring natural gas service to new customers. Ron Bradley, Vice President of Gas Operations for the firm, made it clear that the investment would insure the company’s supplies were gathered in a secure manner. “We continuously review our natural gas distribution system to identify opportunities to further improve service and ensure safety. This work helps us continue to provide safe, reliable natural gas service to our customers.” Natural gas is often considered more environmentally friendly because there is less wastage occurring during genera- tion and transmission of the energy than there is with fossil fuel energy. PECO’s success serves as an illustration of how the industry could encourage customers to adopt energy efficient pol- icies and products using both financial incentives and community partnerships. By offering customers monetary reward for moving to energy saving products and services companies will also raise their own profiles within the industry.