AC Convention Center Awarded LEED GOLD Certification

On Apr 23, 2019

The Atlantic City Convention Center has been awarded LEED GOLD certification. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes, and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.

More than 92,200 commercial and institutional projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 2.2 million square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 167 countries and territories.

“The Atlantic City Convention Center’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO, USGBC. “LEED was created to make the world a better place and revolutionize the built environment by providing everyone with healthy, green and high performing buildings. The Atlantic City Convention Center serves as a prime example of how the work of innovative building projects can use local solutions to make a global impact on the environment.”

Jim Wood, president and CEO for Meet AC, added, “Achieving LEED certification is a market differentiator that will position the Atlantic City Convention Center in a leading group of venues across the country that value sustainability and its positive impact on the visitor experience, environment, and financial returns. The certification will be an important talking point when vying for new business at the convention center.”

In the past year, strategies that helped improve Atlantic City Convention Center’s environmental performance in preparation for LEED recertification, including LED lighting retrofits, close alignment of equipment operations with scheduled shows, ongoing preventative maintenance activities, restroom renovation designs that include installation of low-flow plumbing fixtures, and the start of a robust recycling program.

“We appreciate the commitment the CRDA has made to the Convention Center through their funding of energy efficient capital projects,” said Spectra’s Jason Resetar, Assistant General Manager and Director of Facilities at the Atlantic City Convention Center. “Every department here at the venue was vested in this goal and without their dedication, especially from Christopher Kane, Lead Engineer and Matthew Butler, Lead Electrician, this certification would not be possible.”

Here are some statistics that helped the Atlantic City Convention Center earn the Gold certification:

·       In 2018, over 2.9 million kWh of electricity were produced from the venue’s rooftop solar panels. This is the Equivalent of powering 250 homes for one year! The total solar generation equated to roughly 13% of the building’s total energy for the year.

·       Reduction of lighting loads by nearly 63% by retrofitting the facility with new LEDs.

·       Reduction of water usage by 20% with installation of new low flush valves in the venue’s 32 restrooms.

·       Improved operating efficiency of climate controls during changing seasons.

·       Efficient operation of lighting and HVAC systems to minimize their use during non-peak times.

·       Over 158.2 tons of recycled materials diverted from landfills in 2018.

·       9,583 lbs. of lamps, ballasts, batteries, and electronics were recycled.

“Strong energy performance made LEED GOLD certification achievable. By closely aligning HVAC and lighting operations with event schedules, the engineering and electrical teams have significantly reduced the facility’s carbon footprint and operating costs,” noted Josh Berengut of Breea, Spectra’s LEED consultant.

Specifically, the LED Lighting Retrofit was a capital improvement project completed in 2018 that removed all metal-halide lighting from our exhibit halls and replaced them with LED light fixtures throughout 486,600 sq. ft. of exhibition space. The LED’s offer more light while using less electricity, which is more energy-efficient and leads to saving money.  Retrofitting the facility with new LEDs is a practical decision because the project will pay for itself with the money it saves on electricity.  Overall, replacing 1,923 of the previous light fixtures with 475 new LEDs will reduce the convention center’s lighting loads for an 8-hour day from 769,000 watts to 285,000 watts.  The lamp life has also increased from an average lamp life of 20,000 hours to 70,000 hours, reducing maintenance costs.  The project also qualifies for a significant rebate from the New Jersey Clean Energy Program.

“Having energy proficient buildings has been a long-term goal of the CRDA,” Executive Director Matt Doherty said. “We continue to work closely with our building management partner, Spectra, to ensure we are operating our buildings in the most efficient and effective manner.”

The $9.1 million restroom renovation project at the Atlantic City Convention Center will completely overhaul the venue’s 32 restrooms with expected completion by September 2019.  The design includes new hands-free fixtures, auto-flush toilets and automatic faucets and electric hand dryers. The new low flow flush valves for toilets will be going from 1.6 gallons per flush (GPF) to 1.28 GPF, saving an estimated 100,000 gallons of water annually. In addition, each restroom will have individual climate controls to adjust the temperatures throughout the changing seasons and hot water circulators to improve hot water response efficiency.

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