Green Landmark

H-E-B has registered its new store in Austin for LEED certification and Austin Energy Green Building certification. Apart from using a propane refrigeration system, the store includes a number of other green “firsts” for H-E-B, including the use of 100% LED lighting, radiant floor cooling, a chilled water system that supports the store refrigeration and HVAC systems, chilled sails/beams for cooling, a wood building frame and roof deck, a ceramic-based roof coating and extensive use of photovoltaic panels.

“The store was designed to use a maximum amount of daylight,” said H-E-B’s Bill Triplett. “For the most part, during sunny days, very little supplemental lighting is needed — certainly not in the sales floor area.”

The store was designed to use 79% less energy when benchmarked against a “like” store H-E-B has been currently building. About 10% of the store’s electricity needs are provided by photovoltaic panels mounted on the roof of the store.

Other sustainable features include:

• Doors on refrigerated display cases, reducing their energy use by 70%;


• Special shades on open-front refrigerated cases are pulled down when the store is closed to help reduce energy usage by 6% to 8%;


• Control system dims LED lights according to how much daylight is coming through windows and skylights; and


• Low-flow toilets and faucets; and


• Prep areas are washed with a pressure washer that uses significantly less water than a conventional hose and spray nozzle.

“The store was designed to use 50% less potable water than baseline values,” Triplett said.