One of the Largest LEED-Certified Green Buildings in Ohio

AKRON, Ohio, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has been awarded "gold" for going "green" with the design, construction and operation of its new West Akron Campus. The company recently received Gold Level certification by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, making the campus the largest office building in northeast Ohio to receive this highly prized designation and one of the largest such green office buildings in Ohio.

LEED is an internationally recognized third-party green building certification system that recognizes buildings that have met the highest possible green building standards and verifies a project's level of environmental responsibility and ability to provide occupants with a healthy place to live and work.

"From design through construction, our West Akron Campus project team was focused on environmental design and performance, and we are pleased that our facility has now been officially recognized by the LEED program," said Anthony J. Alexander, president and chief executive officer of FirstEnergy Corp. "We are especially proud to have built one of Ohio's largest gold level certified buildings right here in our hometown of Akron."

"This LEED recognition represents a level of commitment to sustainable building design pursued by less than 0.1 percent of buildings built today," said Vocon's Mike Molinski, Registered Architect, LEED AP, and project architect for the West Akron Campus. "Without the dedication of FirstEnergy's facilities management team, we could not have achieved gold certification status."

The LEED process grades new construction and major renovation projects by assigning points in five main areas: sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; and indoor environmental quality. Overall, there are 69 possible points that involve four LEED certification levels: Platinum - 52 points; Gold - 39 points; Silver - 33 points; and Certified - 26 points.

FirstEnergy achieved gold level certification by earning a total of 41 points in the following areas:

• Sustainable Sites - includes accommodations for bicycles, carpooling and low- emitting and hybrid vehicles; retention basins for stormwater management; and reflective white roof and concrete instead of asphalt in the parking lot used to reduce the "heat island" effect around the building.
• Water Efficiency - uses captured rainwater to water specially selected drought- resistant landscaping; and installed low-flow fixtures with sensor-activated valves designed to reduce water usage by 36 percent compared to similar sized buildings.
• Energy and Atmosphere - optimizes energy performance through underfloor HVAC systems that are 26 percent more efficient than standard equipment; refrigerant systems that utilize low ozone-depleting equipment; Ice Bear unit that provides cooling; and Renewable Energy Credits purchased to fulfill "green power" requirement.
• Materials and Resources - as part of the construction process 69 percent of the waste was recycled, reducing the need to landfill; more than 23 percent of total materials used were manufactured from recycled content, including structural steel; more than 21 percent of the total material used came from within 500 miles of Akron; and recycling storage and collection was built into the work areas of the building.
• Indoor Environmental Quality - all ductwork was covered during construction to minimize interior dust; low-emitting paints, sealants and carpet adhesives were used throughout building - resulting in no "new building" smell; underfloor delivery systems allow occupants to have individual air controls; energy efficient task lighting used throughout work areas rather than overhead lighting; and occupants are surveyed to ensure effectiveness of thermal comfort efforts.

To date, approximately 3,400 buildings throughout the U.S. are LEED certified, with 1,100 gold certified.

Ground was broken for FirstEnergy's West Akron Campus in July 2007 and construction was completed by the fall of 2008. The campus houses approximately 500 employees, including those from FirstEnergy's Information Technology Group and FirstEnergy Solutions, the company's competitive subsidiary.

The building was designed by Cleveland, Ohio-based Vocon. This marks the seventh LEED certified project designed by the firm. The general contractor was Fairlawn, Ohio-based Welty Building Company LTD.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services. Its seven electric utility operating companies comprise the nation's fifth largest investor-owned electric system, based on 4.5 million customers served, within a 36,100-square-mile area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and its generation subsidiaries control more than 14,000 megawatts of capacity.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

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