LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29, 2018 — Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced that its Energy Resource Center in Downey, California has achieved WELL Certification at the Silver Level for New and Existing Buildings by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The distinction was awarded through IWBI’s WELL Building Standard (WELL) for buildings and spaces that promote human health, well-being, and comfort in their design.
To be awarded WELL Certification, the Energy Resource Center underwent rigorous testing and a final evaluation carried out by Green Business Certification Inc., the third-party certification body for WELL. The facility earned the distinction based on seven categories of building performance — Air, Water, Light, Nourishment, Fitness, Comfort, and Mind — meeting IWBI’s high performance requirements meant to ensure high air and water quality, good nutrition, accessibility, and ergonomic comfort, as well as comfortable lighting, temperature, and sound levels.
The center is the 105th WELL Certified project globally and the 16th WELL Certified project in California.
“We are very pleased that the Energy Resource Center has been recognized with this prestigious certification,” said Estela de Llanos, vice president of operations support and sustainability and chief environmental officer at SoCalGas and San Diego Gas & Electric. “This special facility helps thousands of commercial and industrial customers find economical, efficient, and sustainable solutions for their energy needs, and now we can also take pride in its ability to enhance health and wellness.”
“By achieving WELL Certification at its Energy Resource Center, SoCalGas has demonstrated a commitment to its employees and customers that their health is a priority,” said IWBI chairman and CEO Rick Fedrizzi. “This unique project also serves as a testament to how building performance and human performance go hand in hand, enhancing both the health of the environment and the health of people.”
SoCalGas provides a broad variety of services at the Energy Resource Center for commercial and industrial customers, including hands-on testing of commercial cooking equipment, building operator certification training, and technical and foodservice seminars.
The center was the first building in California to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) recognition, is LEED EB: O&M Platinum certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, and was named a Top Ten Project by The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Committee on the Environment in 1998. It uses more than 40 percent less water outdoors, nearly 40 percent less water indoors, and more than 50 percent less energy than other commercial buildings its size.
SoCalGas helps its business customers, as well as its residential customers, keep their utility bills affordable. The company offers more than 90 energy efficiency and rebate programs that have delivered $161 million in cost savings over the past five years, and since 1990, these programs have saved customers more than $670 million and reduced emissions equal to taking almost 700,000 cars off the road. Moreover, because of energy efficiency measures and new innovative technology, natural gas emissions in commercial and residential buildings account for only about 7.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions statewide, according to the California Air Resources Board.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable natural gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Natural gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians—about 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas is committed to investing in its natural gas system infrastructure, while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2013 through 2017, the company spent nearly $6 billion to upgrade and modernize its natural gas system to enhance safety and reliability. The company is also committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future, and is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas from dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants and the development of renewable energy storage technologies. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
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SoCalGas: Irene Nguyen, [email protected], 213-244-2442