PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

PECO was recognized as one of three project winners of the 2016 Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) Groundbreaker Award for the company’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification initiatives for its Philadelphia headquarters and multiple service buildings throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. The awards were presented at the annual DVGBC Groundbreaker Awards reception on September 29.

In 2015, PECO earned LEED Existing Building Operations + Maintenance Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the company’s Philadelphia headquarters. This certification was achieved through a series of building upgrades and operational enhancements, including:

• Extensive energy-efficient lighting improvements, which led to a reduction of 2,700 light fixtures and 30,000 fluorescent lamps
• Heating and cooling upgrades and the installation of a new building automation system to control the HVAC system
• A 45,000 square foot green roof, which mitigates storm water runoff and reduces energy usage for heating and cooling
• Updating PECO’s iconic Crown Lights system with energy-efficient LED technology atop the building

This work has helped reduce building energy usage by 7.25 million kilowatt-hours each year.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Delaware Valley Green Building Council for our continued environmental focus and dedication to sustainability,” said Mike Innocenzo, senior vice president and COO. “Our work to achieve LEED certification for our largest company building further demonstrates our commitment to environmental leadership and we continue to realize ongoing benefits of this important sustainability work.”

This achievement culminates a multi-year, $15.3 million environmental initiative to improve the sustainability of PECO’s buildings and operations across southeastern Pennsylvania. In total, PECO’s LEED initiative comprises 12 buildings and nearly 1.5 million square feet of building space, representing 80 percent of the total square footage of all PECO buildings.

From the company’s green building initiatives, to operating an environmentally-friendly fleet, to launching PECO Smart Ideas to help customers save energy and money, all of PECO’s environmental efforts contribute to and support the long-term sustainability efforts of Exelon, PECO’s parent company, to benefit the company’s customers and communities.

Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). The company’s 2,400 dedicated employees provide advanced, innovative energy solutions to 1.6 million electric and more than 511,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2015 PECO delivered 86.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 38 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. The company also has an estimated annual economic impact of $4.5 billion in Pennsylvania, supporting more than 9,600 local jobs and producing $760 million in labor income. Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region's most active corporate citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development and community programs and organizations. For more information visit PECO.com, and connect with the company on Facebook and Twitter.

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