Exelon’s green headquarters reduces emissions to address climate change

CHICAGO (June 20, 2007) –The U.S. Green Building Council awarded Exelon Corporation the highest environmental rating for its “green” office space in a presentation today at Exelon’s headquarters in downtown Chicago. Exelon’s headquarters is the largest to receive the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Platinum Commercial Interiors (CI) certification. 

“We are very proud of this award,” said John W. Rowe, Exelon’s chairman, president and CEO. “At Exelon, we take seriously our commitment to address climate change. Efficiency is a proven strategy for reducing energy needs, costs and greenhouse gas emissions. We are also pleased to help Mayor Daley, Commissioner Johnston, and the City of Chicago meet their environmental goals through our compliance with The Chicago Standard for sustainable buildings."

USGBC’s Chairman Sandy Wiggins presented Rowe and Ruth Ann Gillis, president of Exelon Business Services Company, with a plaque crediting Exelon for its leadership and innovation in creating an environmentally responsible office space.

“Exelon has demonstrated its sincere commitment to the environment by creating a new space that meets platinum, the highest level of LEED certification. Buildings are responsible for 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S., which directly impacts global climate change,” Wiggins said.
“However, LEED buildings consume half the energy of conventional building. Companies like Exelon recognize the full environmental impact of their decisions and will serve as an example for other organizations to follow.”  

Sadhu Johnston, Commissioner of the City of Chicago’s Department of Environment was at the presentation and said Exelon is a strong corporate example of the city’s commitment to sustainable buildings.

 “I applaud Exelon on the platinum LEED certification for their headquarters, and we hope that others in the private sector will follow their lead in sustainable building practices,” said Sadhu Johnston, Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Environment.  “Chicago is proud to be home to three platinum LEED certified buildings or office spaces.”

Exelon has established a voluntary goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8 percent by the end of 2008. This goal will be partially realized through the redesign of its company headquarters.

“Our approach to creating this award-winning office space was to develop the most functional and effective space for our employees with minimal environmental impact and we accomplished all of those goals,” Gillis said. “We hope to encourage others to make the changes necessary to address global warming.”

Exelon consolidated its downtown Chicago locations and one suburban location to increase productivity and reduce long-term occupancy costs. To do so, Exelon chose to renovate existing space to LEED standards rather than building new. The project involved the design and construction of more than 220,000 square feet of office space on ten floors at Chase Tower, 10 S. Dearborn St., in downtown Chicago.

In its new green headquarters, Exelon has reduced electricity consumption by more than 43 percent and water consumption by 30 percent as compared to its previous space and has created a healthy and more productive work environment for its employees.  Air quality was improved through the use of low-emitting materials, paints, carpeting, furniture and finishes, and the installation of high-density air filters. Workstations, offices and conference rooms were redesigned so that all employees have outside views and benefit from utilizing natural light. 

Exelon purchased more than 60 percent of the project and construction materials from manufacturers located within 500 miles to reduce emissions associated with transportation.  Three-quarters of construction waste was recycled or salvaged, and almost one-third of furniture and other materials were reused to reduce waste.

Exelon also is buying Renewable Energy Certificates to offset 100 percent of electricity usage for the office space from regional, Green-e certified wind power.  The office is near public transportation, and offers bicycle racks and showers for employees who want to ride their bikes to work to further reduce emissions.

The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. The rating system was designed by leading experts in the construction industry to promote buildings that are economically profitable, environmentally friendly, healthy and productive places to work. Platinum-CI certification of Exelon’s headquarters was based on ratings in six categories: sustainability of the site; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation and design process.

###

Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with more than $15 billion in annual revenues.  The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.  Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 480,000 customers in the Philadelphia area.  Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.