Nichols’ Norton Shores Headquarters and Distribution Center Earns EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Certification for Superior Energy Efficiency
(January 5, 2021, Norton Shores, Michigan) Nichols’ Norton Shores Headquarters and Distribution Center (1391 Judson Road, Norton Shores, MI), has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.
“Nichols is pleased to accept EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Renae Hesselink, Vice President of Sustainability. “Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.” Nichols’ overall Energy Star Score is 75, meaning that it is more energy efficient than 75 percent of similar properties nationwide”
To help earn the ENERGY STAR, Nichols took the following action in 2019:
• A lighting upgrade in our 100,000 square foot warehouse. We replaced 198 florescent light fixtures with LED High Bag fixtures that have sensors at each fixture. Overall this helped us reduce our electric consumption by 12% which translates to a 6% reduction in costs for 2020 over the previous year of 2019.
Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Nichols improved its energy performance by managing energy strategically across the entire organization and by making cost-effective improvements to its Norton Shores facility. Nichols has prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the electricity use from 20 households for a year*.
EPA’s ENERGY STAR energy performance scale helps organizations assess how efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA’s 1-100 scale may be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification. Commercial buildings that can earn the ENERGY STAR include offices, bank branches, data centers, financial centers, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, hotels, K-12 schools, medical offices, supermarkets, dormitories, houses of worship, and warehouses.
ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 65 different kinds of products, 1.4 million new homes, and 20,000 commercial buildings and industrial plants that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Over the past twenty years, American families and businesses have saved more than $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions with help from ENERGY STAR.
For more information about ENERGY STAR Certification for Commercial Buildings: www.energystar.gov/labeledbuildings
For more information about Nichols:
Contact: Renae Hesselink, Vice President of Sustainability renae.hesselink@enichols.com (231) 799-2120 Ext 117
*To calculate greenhouse gas emissions, please visit http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html