JUNO BEACH, Fla. – NextEra Energy’s headquarters, home to Florida Power & Light Company, NextEra Energy Resources and other NextEra Energy subsidiaries, has achieved the prestigious Gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance.
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance “green” buildings. It serves as third-party verification that a facility employs proven strategies to maximize operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts across a variety of metrics, from energy and water efficiency and indoor environmental quality to solid waste management and sustainable purchasing.
“This recognition underscores our company’s core commitment to operational excellence and environmental sustainability,” said Bob McGrath, NextEra Energy executive vice president of engineering, construction and corporate services. “While we continue to enhance our own performance, we also work with our like-minded neighbors in the business community to implement similar innovative, energy-reducing programs that contribute to a more energy-efficient, environmentally friendly Florida.”
NextEra Energy’s headquarters is comprised of five buildings in Juno Beach, Fla. While LEED-certified single-structure new construction is becoming more common, converting existing facilities can present a substantial challenge. Employees of NextEra Energy and its subsidiaries worked for three years to integrate a series of measures designed to achieve significant energy savings while ensuring the smooth operation of the campus’ many operational units – some of which operate 24 hours a day to monitor the electric grid and power plants in Florida and across North America.
Key areas of the intensive greening process included:
• Installing heating, ventilation and air-conditioning improvements and lighting upgrades
• Converting to the use of environmentally positive materials, including chemicals, paper and carpeting
• Implementing programs that now result in the recycling of 240 tons of paper a year, which is the equivalent of saving 4,080 mature trees annually
• Surveying more than 2,800 campus employees to understand their transportation habits
• Enabling the company’s rooftop-based solar technology research to double as an energy source that heats all of the facility’s kitchen water needs, further reducing overall energy consumption
• Building FPL’s industry-leading “Green Fleet” of hybrid-electric and plug-in electric vehicles
• Reducing annual water consumption by 20 percent via conservation projects
• Utilizing energy-efficient LED lighting in parking lots
In particular, this achievement reflects the dedication by employees of NextEra Energy’s utility subsidiary, FPL, who provide an array of energy-efficiency services for customers, including helping businesses pursue the challenging goal of achieving LEED certification.
FPL also offers Business Energy Evaluations at no cost and energy-conservation rebates to help businesses find ways to save energy and money through lighting efficiency, HVAC (heating, ventilating & air-conditioning) and thermal energy storage, energy recovery ventilation and other programs. For more information about FPL’s award-winning energy efficiency programs for business customers, visit www.FPL.com/bizprograms.
NextEra Energy, Inc.
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company with 2010 revenues of more than $15 billion, nearly 43,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and approximately 15,000 employees in 28 states and Canada. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., NextEra Energy's principal subsidiaries are NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which together with its affiliated entities is the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun, and Florida Power & Light Company, which serves approximately 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the country. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy collectively operates the third largest U.S. nuclear power generation fleet. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com,www.NextEraEnergyResources.com, www.FPL.com.
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with approximately 10,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.