Verizon Wireless Works With Energy Star® To Improve Energy Efficiency Nationwide

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Oct. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless formed a partnership in 2006 with EPA's ENERGY STAR^®, a voluntary program that promotes reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. 

In 2006, Verizon Wireless introduced ENERGY STAR tools and resources to improve efficiency within company-owned buildings, including the EPA's measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager^™.  Portfolio Manager allows users to track and assess energy and water consumption across a portfolio of buildings in a secure online environment.  Since 2008, more than 100 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores have been awarded the EPA's prestigious ENERGY STAR certification, the highest number of stores of any wireless retailer to date.  The company remains committed to achieving ENERGY STAR certification for all eligible stores at least once. 

"Our six-year strategic relationship with ENERGY STAR has focused on reducing Verizon's carbon footprint, and serving our customers in the most environmentally friendly way possible," said James Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon.  "We look forward to continuing our alliance, and reaching Verizon's sustainability goals of increasing our energy efficiency and cutting our carbon intensity in half by 2020."

Verizon Wireless has taken steps to improve energy efficiency in stores with projects such as lighting retrofits, energy management system (EMS) installations and HVAC upgrades.  Specific initiatives include:

• Replacing more than 30,000 existing 50-watt and 37-watt Halogen MR16 spotlights with 12-watt LED lamps throughout the country (less than two-year payback).
• Upgrading 338 locations with the energy management systems (EMS) in 2010 and adding 174 locations in 2011.  These systems control the HVAC units and lighting according to set schedules, thus maximizing store efficiency.  Another 38 EMSs have been installed as of July 2012. 

In 2012, Verizon Wireless opened an Evolution 2.0-designed retail store in Toms River, N.J., featuring an open 3,100-square-foot sales floor with numerous interactive demo stations that allow customers to immerse themselves in a hands-on experience with the latest 4G LTE smartphones, diverse offering of 4G LTE tablets, and unique devices such as the Verizon Jetpack™, and so much more.  The new design resulted in a 30 percent reduction in energy costs.  To learn more about Verizon Wireless' green initiatives, please visit http://aboutus.verizonwireless.com/Green_Initiative/overview.html.  To learn more about ENERGY STAR products and initiatives, visit http://www.energystar.gov.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 94.2 million retail customers, including 88.8 million retail postpaid customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 78,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless