San Diego — On June 10, 2016 at the 11th Annual San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) Energy Showcase event, Petco was honored by SDG&E for its remarkable results in energy efficiency and conservation. Petco, a leading specialty retailer of premium pet food, supplies and services, was awarded a Grand Energy Champion Award for its dedication to energy sustainability at its national support center located in San Diego.
The 300,000-square-foot, pet-friendly facility was a former semi-conductor plant that expanded and relocated Petco’s support center from multiple buildings to one. The energy-efficient building increases employee interaction and productivity — allowing for better team building through the use of common spaces throughout the building.
The facility was built with the support of SDG&E’s Savings by Design program, which helps commercial construction projects get an early start on energy efficiency. More than 75 skylights and nearly 3,000 solar panels on the roof produces an 86% energy offset, provides ample natural lighting throughout the campus and allows the building’s lighting systems to run at only half capacity.
“Petco’s two key goals when we started this project was to use the least amount of energy possible for our needs and to minimize the long term impact it has on the environment,” says Charlie Piscitello, Petco’s senior vice president and chief people officer.
Throughout the construction process, about 85% of all demolition materials were recycled, and eco-friendly materials were used whenever possible. Inside, the Petco Café uses highly efficient appliances to cook and prepare food for Petco’s partners. Outside, rain and runoff water flows through landscape elements around the building and parking lot that filter water through soil sediments. In return, water evaporates, instead of draining and polluting the ocean. The building’s energy efficiency is further accented by drought tolerant landscaping and electric car charging stations for employee use.
SDG&E offers its business customers solutions to manage and save energy including energy rebates, demand response programs, free onsite energy-efficiency assessments and zero-interest financing programs. For more information, visit sdge.com/good4biz.
For more information about Petco and its San Diego-based national support center, visit about.petco.com.
Petco operate more than 1,430 Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including more than 115 Unleashed by Petco locations, a smaller format neighborhood shop; prescription services and pet supplies from the leading veterinary-operated pet product supplier, Drs. Foster & Smith; and petco.com.
SOURCE: Petco