Securian Center has Earned EPA's Prestigious ENERGY STAR

Securian Center in downtown St. Paul, MN has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) prestigious ENERGY STAR, the national symbol for superior energy efficiency and environmental protection. The 401 Building on Securian's campus, owned and operated by Securian Financial Group, Inc., received a 96 rating, putting it in the top four percent of commercial buildings and industrial plants in the nation.

"We are not green because it is in fashion. Green business is good business," said Julio Fesser, director, Facilities Management, Securian Financial Group. "As the largest private-sector property owner in downtown St. Paul and a landlord with several tenants, we take every opportunity to keep our energy costs down. It's good for our company and our clients."

Fesser says Securian partners with District Energy to heat and cool its buildings, eliminating the need for boilers or chillers. District Energy uses a locally available, renewable fuel source: clean wood waste, helping St. Paul earn recognition as one of the greenest cities in the nation.

Commercial buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. EPA's national energy performance rating system provides a 1-100 scale that helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a rating of 75 or higher is eligible for the ENERGY STAR. In addition to the 96 rating for the 401 Building, the entire 1,000,000 s.f. Securian Center earned an 88 rating. The 400 Building, opened in 1982, received a 75.

Securian uses many strategies to reduce on-campus energy use, including:

• Using smart lighting and energy management technologies to modulate lighting levels and ambient temperature according to occupant demand and daylight levels.
• Embracing green IT practices such as optimizing electrical consumption of desktops and peripherals; using energy efficient monitors; running multiple applications on one server; cooling and venting servers in the most energy efficient manner.
• Retrofitting HVAC fans with high efficiency motors and frequency drives.
• Upgrading dated equipment, such as pneumatic variable air volume boxes, with direct digital control technology for improved energy conservation.