Report: Wal-Mart Selects 20 Capitols for Energy Audits

Bentonville, Ark. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has announced partnerships with 19 states and Puerto Rico to help them save on energy and electricity costs at their capitol buildings, according to the Associated Press.

Wal-Mart will pay engineering experts to perform energy audits at the capitols and recommend ways to save energy, lower electricity costs and reduce greenhouse emissions, company officials told state leaders Tuesday at the National Governors Association's State Summit on Clean Power and Efficiency.

Over the past three years, Wal-Mart has worked to cut energy usage at its stores and suppliers. Through its Greening State Capitols partnership with the National Governors Association, Wal-Mart now will start working with the states.

The program also will help Wal-Mart market its audit services to other companies, Hurst said.

The states included in Tuesday's announcement are Missouri, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Engineers will visit the capitols in 2008 and 2009 to examine lighting, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning systems, refrigeration equipment and building structures.

Wal-Mart will then provide recommendations based on technology it uses to reduce energy consumption at its stores, the report said.