NYPA first New York State building to score Gold LEED.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) announced that its 17-story administrative office building in Yonkers has received LEED[R] Gold-EB (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Existing Building) ranking from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), attesting to its environmental sustainability and status as a "green" building.

It is the first existing building in New York State to achieve LEED Gold and among only 19 such facilities in the country.

The Gold designation signifies that the Clarence D. Rappleyea Building, at 123 Main Street, meets the rigorous LEED performance standards for five key areas: sustainable site development, energy efficiency, water savings, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

"I congratulate the New York Power Authority for achieving this important designation," said Governor Eliot Spitzer. "It is central to our plans to incorporate this type of sustainable building practice for projects in both the private and public sectors."

"Going for the Gold is what we did and achieving it places the Rappleyea building among the ranks of the most energy efficient and environmentally-sound buildings in the country," said Timothy S. Carey, NYPA president and chief executive officer.

"LEED-certified buildings enhance occupants' health and productivity, help conserve the Earth's resources and reduce carbon emissions that are melting the Arctic ice cap and warming the planet. The measures we undertook to achieve the LEED recognition are centered on the belief that government should lead by example in matters of overriding importance such as the environment and energy security.

"These and other sustainability initiatives are in line with my goal of making the Power Authority the cleanest and greenest electric utility in the United States."

"The LEED designation brings a bold new dimension to the Power Authority's long history of leadership in protecting the environment and conserving vital resources," said Frank S. McCullough Jr., NYPA chairman. "This building--with its green attributes and its gold designation--will stand as a tribute to what has been accomplished.

"The Power Authority's administrative office building in Westchester joins an elite group of existing and new buildings receiving LEED recognition," said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president, CEO and founding chair. "This is a superlative distinction, and the Power Authority has every reason to be proud. Each time another building successfully goes through the LEED process, it reinforces the message of the value of environmental sustainability, not to mention the potential financial gains from lower operating costs and a healthier workplace."

The various green measures introduced built on the Power Authority's completion of a $3.4 million energy efficiency upgrade in 2002 that cut the Rappleyea building's annual electricity use by more than 50%, or some five million kilowatt hours, compared to 1990 levels. This surpassed a 35% reduction that state-owned buildings are required to achieve by 2010 under an Executive Order issued by former Governor George E. Pataki in 2001 and renewed earlier this month by Governor Spitzer.

The initial upgrade by the Power Authority resulted in annual savings of $450,000 a year in electricity costs for the headquarters building, where about 60% of the space is utilized by NYPA administrative staff, including engineers, lawyers and economists, with the remaining areas leased to private enterprises.

The initiatives also cut the building's annual greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 2,800 tons, along with displacing more than 7,300 barrels of oil a year.