FirstEnergy’s West Virginia Operations Headquarters located in Fairmont has secured a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The new building in the I-79 Technology Park is the first to earn the rating in the area. The facility, launched in November 2010, accommodates the regional utility headquarters of Mon Power and one of the three transmission control centers of FirstEnergy.
FirstEnergy’s West Virginia Operations Headquarters located in Fairmont, West Virginia
The architect of the building, Omni Associates-Architects based in Fairmont, situated at 5001 NASA Boulevard designed the building and Morgantown-based March-Westin was its general contractor. One of the advanced design aspects of the building is its low-flow sensors and plumbing fixtures, which decrease water consumption by 45%.
The new facility features occupancy sensors and energy-conserving lighting systems operated by programmed control panels to save energy. It also features low-emitting materials to enhance indoor air quality and white reflective roof to reduce heat absorption, which in turn reduces energy consumption. The building materials comprising over 20% of recycled content were used for the facility.
Daily practices such as recycling and utilizing only environmentally-friendly cleaning products across the facility add more benefits to the environment. James R. Haney, who serves as President of West Virginia Operations for FirstEnergy, stated that the company is proud of its new facility that displays energy-conserving office practices and technologies. From blueprint to construction, the company’s project team concentrated on advanced environmental design and best practices to develop a greener office, he concluded.