Empire State Building to Use 100% Green Energy

Empire State Building, green energy, Green Mountain Energy, green renovation, Manhattan, NRG Energy, renewable resources, wind power

New York City’s most recognizable building is fast becoming the city’s greenest building. As part of the Empire State Building’s $520 million makeover, the city has spent the last couple of years upgrading the art-deco building to be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Today, the landmark’s supervisor, Malkin Holdings, announced that the building is now the largest purchaser of renewable power in the state.

Officials said that the building will annually purchase 55 million kilowatt hours of renewable certificates from Green Mountain Energy, a renewable power retailer recently acquired by NRG Energy of New Jersey. NRG’s wind power facilities will power the certificates, which will cover the Empire State Building’s electricity costs for the entire year.

Other green renovations include the retrofitting of the building’s double hung operable windows, insulating behind the radiators, and rebuilding chillers in the cooling plant in the basement. Malkin Holdings hopes to cut the building’s energy use by 38 percent by 2013. The city’s buildings account for 78 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in New York City, so by switching to 100 percent sustainable energy, the Empire State Building is taking a big step toward making our city more Earth friendly.

Via The New York Times