Chattanooga, TN (October 16, 2018) – EPB celebrated the LEED Silver certification of its downtown headquarters building by sharing best practices for sustainability with a Green Business Expo for area businesses. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and is the world’s most widely used green building program.

EPB updated its headquarters building certification and met USGBC’s LEED Silver requirements this summer using specific performance criteria. EPB achieved its initial LEED certification in 2013 using the LEED for Building Operations and Maintenance: Existing Buildings rating system, the first for an existing commercial building in Chattanooga. In addition to its work with LEED, EPB was also the first municipal utility to achieve PEER certification for its leadership in improving efficiency, day-to-day reliability and resiliency of its power systems.

“Sharing the sustainability practices that we have learned over the years with other businesses aligns with our common interests for being good environmental stewards,” said EPB Director of Community and Environmental Stewardship Elizabeth Hammitt.

Since 2013, EPB employees have been actively engaged with enhancing their ongoing efforts to conserve energy and water, use alternative transportation, improving indoor air quality and waste recycling programs.

EPB’s Green Business Expo shared expertise included:

Staples: Eco-friendly office supply products

RBS: Green cleaning products and processes

Cleaning Solutions: Green cleaning products and processes

WestRock/City of Chattanooga: Office Recycling

Atlas Organics: Commercial composting

Green Trips: Platform for alternative commuting, corporate green travel goals 

Green Spaces: Green Light Certification Program

EPB Green Culture Team/Green Building Leaders: Corporate green team organization 

EPB E-Team: Employees trained in energy solutions and community outreach

EPB Solar Share: Renewable energy products to fit organizational sustainability goals

“The Electric Power Board of Chattanooga continues to be a leader in improving the efficiency and performance of our built environment. As one of America’s largest publicly-owned utilities, their use of LEED and PEER together helps set the standard for sustainable buildings and power systems,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, USGBC President and CEO. “By measuring and tracking the performance of our buildings, power systems, and more, we can continue to find new ways to create more sustainable spaces that positively impact our own health and well-being. LEED and PEER certification work together to secure a better future."

“Our employees’ efforts demonstrate how people can work together with a common purpose to improve quality of life in more efficient, sustainable work spaces,” said EPB President and CEO David Wade.

About EPB

Established as an independent board of the City of Chattanooga in 1935, EPB is a municipally-owned utility that provides electric power and fiber optic communications services as a means of promoting economic development and enhancing quality of life across the local area.

EPB serves more than 170,000 homes and businesses in a 600 square-mile area that includes greater Chattanooga, as well as parts of surrounding counties and areas of North Georgia.

In 2010, EPB became the first provider in the United States to deliver up to 1 Gig (1,000 Mbps) internet speeds utilizing a community-wide fiber optic network that provides access to every home and business in its service area. In 2015, EPB became the first, and to date, only American ISP to make up to 10 Gig (10,000 Mbps) internet speeds accessible to all of its residential and commercial customers as a standard offer.

EPB has also utilized its community-wide fiber optic network to deploy the most advanced and highly automated smart grid power management system in the nation. In recognition of EPB’s groundbreaking infrastructure, the Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are utilizing EPB’s smart grid as a national model for researching and developing best practices. EPB is also the first major power distribution utility to earn the USGBC’s PEER certification for having a highly automated, modernized electric power grid. For more information, go to EPB.com.