Earlier this week local media outlets had a chance to tour one of San Diego’s most innovative, green buildings.

Executives and managers at San Diego Gas & Electric’s Energy Innovation Center answered questions from reporters as they toured the facility in a 1-hour tour on Monday, April 29th. Executives discussed the most recent developments, and allowing for photos and questions about the state-of-the-art center.

SDG&E’s Energy Innovation Center, which open in early 2012, is a showcase facility where residential and business customers can learn about energy efficiency, alternative fuel transportation and clean generation. In November it achieved LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“The Energy Innovation Center is a valuable resource for the community,” said Hal D. Snyder, vice president of customer solutions for SDG&E. “We are committed to helping southern California reach a more sustainable energy future and the Center provides businesses and residential customers with the tools and resources they need to make smart energy decisions to be more energy efficient, save money, and help the environment.”

In order to meet the LEED platinum certification, SDG&E benefited from the incorporation of the latest sustainable features in the Center’s design. Some of the key elements of the Center include:

· Six sun-tracking solar “trees” in the parking lot provide shade and generate 62 kW of electricity. Combined with the solar panels on the roof, the system provides enough electricity to power 31 homes.
· The “cool roof” reflects the sun’s rays and keeps the Center cooler than a conventional roof, which helps reduce the demand on the Center’s air conditioning. The roof also has a rain water collection unit that stores water used for the Center’s irrigation system.
· The landscape features drought resistant landscaping and efficient irrigation technology, resulting in a 50 percent water savings compared to a conventional design.
· 85 percent of the original building’s materials were reused or recycled, including the carpet which is made from recycled tires.
· Over 10 percent of the materials used to construct the building were harvested, manufactured and processed within 500 miles of the Center’s site, reducing the environmental impacts associated with transportation and shipping building materials.

“SDG&E’s Energy Innovation Center has raised the bar for our leadership class of high-performing green buildings in San Diego,” said Douglas Kot, executive director of the San Diego Green Building Council. “Perhaps, more importantly, the Center has also transformed an underutilized commercial neighborhood center into a beacon of sustainability.”

Key features that customers can experience at the Center include: Smart Home experience tours; sustainability tours; Food Service Demonstration Kitchen; interactive kiosks and resource library; water-wise walkway with drought-tolerant landscape demonstrations; and a Produce Demonstration Garden.

“Since its unveiling last year, this facility has been a valuable resource for the community and is demonstrating ways that we all can move toward a more sustainable energy future,” said Pam Fair, vice president of environmental, operations support and chief environmental officer for SDG&E. The Energy Innovation Center is located at 4760 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. in San Diego and is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about how you can utilize the Energy Innovation Center visit www.sdge.com/eic.