Verizon Wireless stores honored for energy efficiency

Basking Ridge, N.J. Verizon Wireless announced that 32 of its stores have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR designation for superior energy efficiency.

"We want every one of our stores to be energy efficient," said Jack Plating, executive VP and COO, Verizon Wireless. "Implementing environmentally friendly practices throughout the company is a priority for us, and we use the EPA ENERGY STAR guidelines as benchmarking tools for our communications stores."

To make stores more energy efficient, Verizon Wireless installs temperature sensors and energy-management systems to monitor heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system use; controls temperature set-points, as well as internal and external lighting schedules; and tracks usage history for maintenance and service requirements. The systems help Verizon Wireless save on energy costs by activating the ventilating, heating and lighting systems automatically based on the stores' operating hours.

To be eligible for the ENERGY STAR, a retail location must be 5,000 sq. ft. or greater, have one year of utility data available for the EPA to review and earn an energy-performance rating of 75 or higher.