Hypower Inc. New LEED Facility, Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and 20th Anniversary Celebration

POMPANO BEACH, Fla., Sept. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hypower Inc., a leading energy and communications solutions contractor and Renewable Energy Specialist, working with Lebolo Construction and Sequil Systems, celebrated the ribbon cutting of their new LEED campus including a Fleet maintenance facility, offices, warehouse and Fleet parking. Hypower is currently pursuing LEED Platinum certification on the maintenance facility and LEED Gold certification on their Power and Telecom Service Division Offices. These buildings will be the first to achieve LEED certification in the City of Pompano Beach. LEED is USGBC's leading rating system for designing and constructing the world's greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110923/FL73811 )

With over 250 people in attendance at this event, State Representative George Moraitis stated, "I am very impressed with the Hypower facility and particularly how it makes financial sense for a business. As a state we need to take leadership in developing solar and other renewable energy resources. Hypower is definitely a leader in this field."

"To be able to have this LEED facility in our city is a tremendous asset and provides sustainable standards for future developments. As the first Hypower owned facility, the City of Pompano Beach is truly honored," stated Lamar Fisher, Mayor of Pompano Beach after participating in the ribbon cutting ceremony.

"As a Broward County Commissioner and a business owner in the construction industry, I would like to commend the owners of Hypower for partnering with our local south Florida community and responsibly constructing their new LEED Gold Facility.  This sustainable facility generates over 85% of the energy it uses with the solar panels Hypower installed.  The energy efficiency is a great investment in this economy and for future generations," affirmed Broward County Commissioner, Chip LaMarca.

The ribbon cutting ceremony included; Hypower Inc. Owners, Bernard Paul-Hus, President; Richard Paul-Hus, Sr. Vice President and Eric Paul-Hus, Sr. Vice President in addition to Scott Williams, Vice President of Commercial Construction; Jeff Emerson, Sr. Project Manager for Hypower; Broward County Commissioner, Chip LaMarca; State Representative George Moraitis; Pompano Beach Mayor, Lamar Fisher; and Lebolo Construction, President, Randy Lebolo; Superintendent, Jim Jenco; and Foreman, Evencio Molina.

The office is designed to create a healthier working environment for the employees. The project touts a 10 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic solar panel system that will offset a large amount of the energy usage in both buildings.  This system is integrated with a building wide green metering system to monitor and isolate the energy usage from various building loads such as air condition, lighting, and plug loads.

Also in attendance were representatives of www.SEQUIL.com, the LEED Commissioning authority on the project.  Heather Shandloff Appell, with SEQUIL Systems, Inc. stated, "the design team was able to save 33% reduction in energy costs for the first building and 47.6% reduction in the second building." The majority of the energy savings come from the installation of photovoltaics, energy efficient lighting, and low-flush and low-flow water fixtures. Occupants of the facilities can also enjoy their new working environments with access to views to the outside, comfortable lighting and a healthy indoor air quality with low-emitting materials.

Additional green elements that positively impact the project itself and the broader community include:  

• 61.64% reduction in potable water use for irrigation from less water-intensive landscaping.
• 40.11% reduction in water usage in the buildings.
• Energy use reduction through reduced heat gains through the envelope by using a reflective roof, high performance windows, and good insulation.
• Energy use reduction from lighting through the use of Lutron Ecosystem integrated lighting controls that adapt lighting levels according to available daylight levels and occupancy.
• Construction waste recycling with a goal of diverting 85% of construction waste materials from the landfill.
• Reserved parking for fuel-efficient vehicles and carpools to promote sustainable transportation.
• Significant amounts of recycled materials used, especially in the core steel pre-fabricated structure.
• Construction waste material reduction through the use of pre-fabricated systems.
• The use of low-Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) materials and finishes such as carpeting and paints to promote a healthier indoor work environment.

Randy Lebolo, President of Lebolo Construction says, "Our team has worked with Hypower on many construction projects over the years, this is the most exciting of them all. We are honored to participate in such an environmentally friendly and efficient building for a company that has been committed to sustainable construction for years."

Hypower is a leader in engineering, designing, installing and constructing Renewable Energy throughout the nation, with over 80 MW installed. "We not only believe in solar energy as the future but we live it everyday in our own office," stated Scott Williams, NABCEP, Vice President of Hypower.

SOURCE Hypower Inc.