PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following more than five months of work, PECO unveiled a completed green roof on top of the company’s headquarter building at 23rd and Market Streets yesterday in Philadelphia. Totaling more than 45,000 square feet, it is the largest green roof ever installed on an existing building in an urban area in Pennsylvania. The vegetative roof consists of a variety of plants ranging from four to eight inches in thickness, 3,000 square feet of pavers, and 470 lineal feet of railing. The roof will help reduce stormwater runoff by absorbing 60 to 70 percent of the approximate 1.5 million gallons of annual rainwater that falls on the Main Office Building. The new roof also will save on heating and cooling costs by reducing the summertime peak roof temperature by 60 to 80 degrees. It also will absorb air pollution, which helps alleviate common respiratory problems. “As a major business in the region and a leading corporation in the energy field, being environmentally responsible is not just a nice thing to do... it is the right thing to do,” said Denis O’Brien, PECO president and CEO. “At PECO we are working to become a leading environmental corporation, contributing to local community environmental projects, and helping our customers protect the environment by using energy more efficiently.” This project is part of a more than $15 million initiative at PECO to preserve the environment and help customers become more environmentally responsible as well. Other environmental projects include the opening of PECO’s first ‘green building’, the installation of a new Crown Lights messaging system at the company’s Center City headquarters, upgrades to secure Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for many company buildings throughout the region, the increased use of hybrid and biodiesel vehicles, support for community environmental projects, and enhanced tools and programs to help customers use energy more efficiently. These environmental efforts contribute to and support Exelon 2020: A Low-Carbon Roadmap, the comprehensive environmental plan of PECO’s parent company. Exelon 2020 sets the goal of reducing, offsetting or displacing more than 15 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year by 2020. The corporation will do this by reducing or offsetting the company’s carbon footprint, helping customers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and providing more low-carbon electricity in the marketplace.
