MidAmerican Energy’s Visitors Center Awarded LEED Green Building Certification
11/5/2009
For more information, contact:
Ann Thelen, Director, Communications & Media Relations, at 515-281-2785
Mark Reinders, Communications Manager, at 712-277-7866
DES MOINES, Iowa – (Nov. 5, 2009) – MidAmerican Energy Company’s visitors center, located at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, has been awarded LEED
® Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED certification recognizes MidAmerican Energy for its design, construction and operation of an environmentally conscious building.
The building, along with the 0.5-megawatt state fair wind turbine, showcases MidAmerican Energy’s commitment to wind energy, renewable resources and energy efficiency. The building serves as an educational resource for visitors – Iowa State Fair visitors, customers and the public – to learn more about the importance of renewable energy.
“LEED certification demonstrates MidAmerican Energy’s commitment to the environment,” said Bill Fehrman, president of MidAmerican Energy Company. “Helping educate customers about renewable energy and wise energy use is good business. It benefits our customers and improves the quality of the environment in which we live.”
MidAmerican Energy is No. 1 in the nation among regulated utilities in wind generation ownership. In addition to the turbine at the fairgrounds, the company owns and operates approximately 1,284 megawatts of wind generation at eight projects in Iowa. Nearly 20 percent of MidAmerican Energy’s generating capacity comes from wind resources.
The building’s construction and design features are a physical representation of the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship. LEED certification verifies the building was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emission reductions, indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources.
Key attributes of the building:
- A rain garden that captures and contains more than 2,600 square feet of roof water, holding the water until it can filter slowly back into the ground to help prevent urban flooding and erosion.
- The roof is covered with a white membrane to reflect the sun’s heat rather than absorbing it, keeping the temperature in the building lower.
- Plants used in the landscape require no additional watering.
- The use of heat pumps and heat-recovery equipment, increased building insulation, high-performance glazing and ground insulation reduce annual energy use by approximately 49 percent.
- Extensive use of glass reduces the need for electrical lighting during the day.
- 75 percent or more of the construction waste was diverted to recycling centers.
Architects Smith Metzger served as the lead for the project, designing MidAmerican Energy’s visitors center as a green building.