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Our company has long been a leader in energy efficiency and energy conservation, and many of our facility energy management efforts have been described in our past EHS Annual Reports. We continued our efforts with positive results in 2005. Our facilities implement a variety of energy-efficiency measures including: - Operating air conditioning systems with energy-efficiency software that manages duty-cycling and set-backs
- Replacing out-dated air conditioning with high-efficiency equipment
- Writing all new construction specifications with energy efficiency in mind
- Specifying energy-efficient Energy Star computers whenever new computer equipment is needed
More than 97 percent of our facility space is equipped with energy-efficient fixtures. We estimate energy savings of more than 13 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year from the use of energy-efficient products. In 2003, our corporate headquarters in downtown Phoenix was converted to the Northwind Cooling system which uses an industrial grade, ice-based chiller that manufactures three million pounds of ice each night when utility loads and rates are lowest. The conversion to Northwind eliminated the on-site requirement need for cooling towers and their associated air-conditioning chillers, resulting in a significant reduction in water consumption in the cooling towers, and the elimination of CFC refrigerant R-11 from the chillers. APS is a registered member of the U.S. Green Building Council and has committed to a goal of incorporating Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) principles in our building design and maintenance. LEED principles encourage “design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and occupants in five broad areas: sustainable site planning, safeguarding water and water efficiency, energy efficiency and renewable energy, conservation of materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.” The LEED rating system ensures buildings meet a minimum set of criteria in each of five categories, contributing to a sustainable environment, ensuring a healthy and safe workplace and reducing operational costs. APS is taking an active role in LEED in order to ensure the sustainability of our own facilities, and to allow us to generate interest for the program as well as educate our customers who may be interested in participating in the LEED program. In 2005, APS had three registered LEED projects: the Wickenburg and Flagstaff Service Centers and the new Ocotillo Service Center.
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