For the fourth time, SEPTA’s headquarters building at 1234 Market Street in Center City Philadelphia has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR certification for 2015. The designation recognizes that the twenty-story building is among the top 25% in similar commercial buildings nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA. The building previously earned ENERGY STAR designation in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
During severe weather events, including this week when the Delaware Valley has been sweltering through continued high heat and humidity, SEPTA enacts several special measures at 1234 Market Street in order to reduce the building’s overall energy usage including:
- Turning off a third of the main bank of elevators in the twenty story building.
- Shutting down an additional set of escalators in the lobby during peak afternoon power periods.
- Raising the building’s chillers to a higher temperature to reduce overall power consumption.
- Reducing the number of main circulation fans operating throughout the building.
- Turning off all non-essential overhead lighting and appliances, and encouraging the 3,500 employees based in the building to work solely with desk and task lighting.
“SEPTA is pleased to accept EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts at 1234 Market Street,” said General Manager Joseph M. Casey. “SEPTA is committed to finding ways to serve the region through green sustainable practices that reduce the waste of energy that depletes the public’s reserve of natural and financial resources.”
First introduced in 1992, ENERGY STAR is a voluntary, market-based partnership aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. To learn more about the program’s certification for commercial buildings visit: http://www.energystar.gov/labeledbuildings
This certification is part of SEPTA’s own system-wide effort to drive sustainable decision making throughout the organization in order to build a more sustainable region. To learn more about SEPTA’s sustainability programs visit https://planning.septa.org/sustainability