MOVING THE CITY TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE 

How can something so dirty be so clean? With the Wilders Grove Solid Waste Services Facility, waste and clean energy go hand in hand. Wilders Grove is a LEED Platinum certified facility, meaning that the buildings are resource-efficient, using less water and energy and more reclaimed material than comparable facilities. The Wilders Grove team got their inspiration from the City of Raleigh mandate requiring all new City facilities be certified at the LEED Silver rating or above. So what did they do? They went Platinum! The facility, comprised of an administrative building, fueling station, and washing station for vehicles, is now using 40% less energy than a facility the same size. Both the administrative building and wash station have solar panels installed on the roof which generates 12.5% of the facility’s electricity needs. In addition to solar, Wilders Grove was able to achieve its LEED Platinum status through using a reclaimed landfill site for the facility and installing a geothermal heat pump system, which has allowed it to reduce their energy use by 30% compared to a conventional HVAC system. The facilities were built with recycled building material that meant 95% of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill. LED lighting - among many other measures - also played a role in the LEED certification. The team is happy with the way the facility has turned out and believes that having a building employees can be proud of has led to morale boost.

To learn more about Raleigh’s Sustainable Energy Leadership visit raleighnc.gov.